Searching for a Heart
by SylviaMaria
Summary: Sam Evans never moved to Lima and never studied at McKinley. But that didn't stop Fate crossing his path with Mercedes Jones. A trucker who loves the highway and a girl hitch-hiking alone
1. Searching for a Heart

_Hi! I'm here again and this time it wasn't a one-shot. This fic is an AU where Sam and Mercedes never met in Lima,Ohio._

_I publish this fic in Spanish and Anni read it. She likes it so much that she said to me, "hey! I can translate it for you." You guys don't know how happy I am that she is gonna translate it. Is a hard work, but you Anni are doing it justice. Thank you so much for doing this. I don't know how to pay you for this. Give us a chance, guys. Give Anni a chance :) Thank you so much, tell us what you think about the story in a review if you want. Thanks again!_

_Sam's thoughts are written in italic ^^_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just some characters of the story ;)<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Searching for a heart:<strong>_

_**And I can't stop now, I have fear of the loneliness. **_

_**Leaving behind the place I grew up in, and armed with courage**_

_**I don't know if you'll cry when you think about me**_

_**But I'm a wanderer**_

_**Searching for a heart that points towards me**_

_**Searching for a heart I'm searching for a heart which belongs to me.**_

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><p>"Honey, thanksgiving is in two weeks. You can't miss it this time, your grandpa wants to see you and you know he gets sad when you're not here to celebrate with us."<p>

Sam Evans jerked the steering wheel heading right around the bend and loosing mobile phone coverage and total contact with his mom.

"Your brothers and sisters are all coming, you have to be here. Tell your boss not to be so hard on you. Come on, come home"

"Mom, I've already told you that I'll try" her son replied, adjusting his hands free headset.

"Don't tell me you'll try. If you don't come home this year, you'll break my heart" His mother began to cry again just like she did every time he called her. He couldn't stand it. His missed his family but his life was on the open road, his whole life was the truck he drove all day. At the other end of the line his mother sobbed murmuring things that didn't make any sense.

"I have to hang up mom. I'll be there, I promise."

Before she could answer he disconnected and took off the headset placing it on the seat next to him in the life was the truck. He was twenty-six and he'd been travelling throughout the whole United States since he'd been eighteen just like his uncle John had done his whole life. He had left the truck to him in his will and Sam loved it. It was his home on wheels. It had a fridge and a bed and that's all he needed. He liked to travel. He had covered so many miles and miles in that truck and when he went home he missed it. Missed it as much as he missed the heat of a woman.

Being a trucker meant having a girl in every bar, at least that's what everyone else thought. Of course he had fun from time to time with some of them, but he never promised anything else. He didn't want to hurt any of them the way his uncle had during twenty years of trucking. Sam knew that his uncle had left some of them pregnant; because he himself had told him, but because they could never find a way to contact him they were never able to make him face his sins.

When he was eleven Sam swore that he would never give break any girl's heart and he had lived up to that girls, who looked him over, never wanted more than a moment with him and then they would never even say goodbye. He'd lost his virginity at seventeen whilst on a final trip with his uncle. The girl was twenty-five and the daughter of the woman that his uncle had wanted to sleep with.

"Flirt with the daughter. It's been a while since I've been with a woman" Sam had agreed against his better judgement and the girl had seduced him into bed.

"That wasn't bad," she had said getting dressed and leaving him in the motel room. He never saw her or her mother again. His uncle had died the next month and he'd started on his own journey three months afer that. Travelling from one place to another, stopping to eat at whatever bar on the way, betting in poker games. This was Sam Evans, tall, blond with gorgeous green eyes. With an athletic body and a weakness for food.

Two weeks…

Two weeks to get to Tennessee. He still had a few runs to cover before hitting Tennessee. At least his mother had not told him to bring a girl with him. Probably because she had finally understood that he was a lone wolf. He had never been with any woman who had inspired him to know what love was. Sam didn't know what it was like to fall in love and perhaps would never know. He doubted whether his uncle had known it either before dying. However although he believed he would never do it, Sam _wanted_ to fall head over heels in love.

Two weeks until Thanksgiving. His grandpa missed him as much as Sam missed his grandpa. It had been too long since he'd seen him. He'd hated his uncle John, Sam's father's brother, as much as he loved Sam's father. They were two different people. His dad had not lived his life on the highway like his brother had. He had fallen in love with his mother and they had gotten married and brought up their five children on a farm in Tennessee. Sam was the middle child. The firstborn was Scott who was twenty-nine, followed by Mary-Ann who was twenty-eight. Then he was born on a June morning causing his mother to wet the bed when her waters broke. And finally years later Stevie and Stacey were born, seventeen and fifteen years old respectively. They were all blonde like their mother but their eyes were different. Scott, Stevie and Stacey had blue eyes whilst he and Mary Ann had the same colour eyes as their mom, a gorgeous shade of green. His grandpa loved the five of them like they were his own; His mother was his only daughter and she had all of his love and affection, as did her children when they were born. He was named Samuel after him and is grandma had always said he reminded her of him when he was younger. Adorable, sweet and a dreamer was Samuel Riley and his grandson was made in exactly the same mould.

"_Do you think someday I'll find a girl who loves me as much as Grandma loves you?" _he had asked him when he was nine.

"_Sam, you should never demand that someone loves you. You should be the first to show what you feel" _his grandpa has replied while the boy had looked at him amazed.

"'_What's it like to love someone Pop?"'_ the man had smiled ruffling his hair.

"_When you find that someone, you'll know short stuff"_

But seventeen years later he still didn't know what it felt like to love. His grandma had died two years later, breaking his grandpa's heart. He saw how happiness turned to sadness when he could no longer be with her. And so at eleven he had made that promise; that he would never break any girl's heart. He couldn't bear to remember how his grandpa had suffered when his wife had died. It had been such a great wound that although it had gradually eased as the years went on, it would never go away.

Sam had never known love but his grandpa had lost it. They were two lonely men.

His grandpa had been livid when he had learned his uncle had left him his truck. He didn't want Sam to turn into was his greatest fear. But as the years went on he had understood that his grandson could never be like him. The only thing that hurt now was that he didn't see him often. This was why Sam was going to the Thanksgiving dinner because he too wanted to see him.

He shifted bit in his seat, leaning forward to turn on the radio, rapidly returning his gaze to the highway. If he was fondly imaging that the journey to Cincinnati was going to be peaceful, he was about to find out that he was sorely mistaken. A long way off he could see two men on the grassy verge pushing a black girl to the ground. They were obviously trying to steal the bag that she had with her. His foot sought the accelerator, increasing the speed of the truck. It would be two against one but at least he'd be able to make sure nothing happened to the girl. The wheels screeched as he stomped on the breaks and his body slammed into the steering wheel. He switched the engine off, grabbing his keys and jumped down quickly from the cab.

"For fuck's sake, give us the bag! We won't hurt you, we just want the bag! Fuck!" one of the guys shouted pulling on said bag, managing to drag the girl with it. The girl quickly got up and bit his hand furiously.

"Fuck, Nick! Help me!"

The other man, who supposedly was called Nick, grabbed her from behind holding her arms and shoulders whilst the other grabbed the bag and made off with it,' As she tried to free herself she saw another young guy coming up behind the would-be robber, making as if to hit him.

"Watch out Joe!" cried Nick whilst holding her immobile. He spun around just in time to receive a fist to the face and one to his stomach, knocking him off balance and to the ground. Nick pushed her, throwing her to the ground and grabbed her bag taking off running.

For a second Sam considered chasing him but knelt down beside her instead attempting to help her.

_Fuck! What a punch! Sons of bitches! Oh, fuck! _

The thief's partner in crime, who he had floored, had got up behind him. He ran towards his buddy's car which was already running to make their escape.

_Great! Run away, you cowards!_

Sam touched the girl's cheek trying to wake her, but failed. His fingers pulled her eyelids back and she sat up rapidly throwing him off onto the ground. From this position Sam could see how she straightened herself and brushed her trousers, which were full of dirt, off. Her hands swiped her backside to get rid of the stones that has stuck to it. He looked at her for a while from the ground, vaguely noticing how cold his hands were getting from the contact with the ground. Finally she looked at him, still on the ground. Sam took notice of her features and curves whilst he tried to pick himself up off the ground. The girl didn't look friendly at all and what's more looked like she wanted to slay him with a look which startled Sam into stopping his attempt to get up and start to worry about her. She looked fine, he decided, so there was no reason to worry.

_What did I teach you, Samuel? You've got to treat girls with respect. They need to know someone is looking out for them. Believe me, your grandma used to tell me that all the time._

His grandpa was right; it didn't matter that the girl was looking at him as though she would love to strangle him. All he wanted to know was that she was ok and get back on the road.

"Are you ok?" he asked giving her a false smile.

"No" the girl replied, pursing her lips disagreeably.

_Of course not. It would be weird if she were ok considering she had been thrown on the floor and robbed._

"Are you hurt?" She looked at him incredulously.

_Without a doubt, wrong question._

"Thanks to you, white boy I've had my bag stolen. Are you happy" the girl gestured with her arm as though she were channelling Beyoncé?

_Hang on. Happy? Yes, without a doubt. I'm jumping for joy here.'_

"Thanks to me? Come on…you're shitting me!" Sam couldn't control his laughter.

"I had everything under control, Blondie until you came along…"

"Yes! Yes, you had it way under control," he said stretching his words and watching how annoyed she got.

"I know how to defend myself, you know!" she said putting her hands on her hips in exasperation.

"I don't doubt it," he replied joking.

She gave a sigh, attempting to count to ten, and then speaking again waving her finger at him.

"If you hadn't arrived…"

He pushed her finger back from his face before replying calmly "If I hadn't come they would have stolen the bag just the same. The difference is that in this case you are still alive thanks to me. You really think you could defend yourself against those dudes? Frankly, right now you'd be lying either unconscious or dead in a hospital. That's of course if anyone stopped to call an ambulance."

The girl looked at him, still not agreeing with him and refused to reply.

Sam shrugged his shoulders and turned around to get back on his way.

"Hey! Where are you going!" she shouted at him running behind him.

"Back on the road,'" he told him turning to face her and bumping into her abruptly. She was about to topple over due to the impact, but Sam grabbed her in time with his arms round her hips, but she keep going reminding him that she was no size two so he grabbed her around the waist, plastering her to him. The heels she had on brought her to his height and he realised that without them she was quite short. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself away from him, at the same time as he regained his composure.

"You're going to leave me here alone, Blondie?" she gaped at him astounded.

"Why not? You said you knew how to look after yourself perfectly well."

_And I have no doubt that you can too._

She opened her mouth to shout at him but made an effort to calm down, sensing that it would get her nowhere.

"Let me remind you that thanks to you I'm without my bag". Sam looked at her incredulously.

_My God, what a hard-headed chit!_

"Let me remind you that thanks to me you are still alive."

"Yes well, thank you very much," she said moving towards the truck.

_Jeez, what a butt…hey! One moment…where does she think she's going?_

"Hey where do you think you're going, girl?" Sam ran behind her grabbing her arm and spinning her round, bumping into her again.

_This is starting to become a habit._

The girl pushed him back and looked him up and down

"I'm getting into the truck"

"What?" Sam's eyes were like saucers.

_She isn't serious, surely?_

"It's the least you can do. I've got no money or bus tickets. Just take me to the nearest city."

"Are you serious?"

She looked at him, amazed.

"Of course I'm serious. Do I look like someone that jokes around to you?"

_I'm sure you don't. You've got a very sour disposition. I bet you it's been ages since…_

"No you don't seem to be."

"Fine, well now we're clear about that are you going to let me in or what?"

For a second Sam thought he saw a flash of hope in her gaze but it disappeared quickly like a cloud of smoke, making him doubt whether he had really seen it in the first place. What could he do? She had lost everything and was on her own. Of course he wasn't to blame and he'd done everything in his power to prevent her bag being stolen but had failed. The real question wasn't what he should do because he already knew the answer to that but rather how he was going to stand the long journey to the nearest city with a stranger who blamed him for the loss of her bag.

"To the next city and that's where you get off," he said seriously.

"Deal," she said offering him her hand to seal the deal.

"Deal" he replied, taking her hand and feeling a charge shoot up his arm.

_Fuck! What the hell was that?_

Apparently he was the only one to have noticed, she was standing waiting for him to open the door for her to get in. However, not only did Sam open the door but he helped her climb up, his hand grazing her backside by accident.

"Could you please keep your hands still, Blondie?" she said once she was seated in the cab.

_What? If you think that I wanted to touch you up you're dead wrong. You're not my type, not by a long shot. Maybe you should try being nicer. Maybe…_

Sam shut the door in her face without replying. He went round the truck in four strides and mounted the steps up to the cab in a matter of seconds.

_I've a feeling this is going to be a long journey…_

He turned on the radio, avoiding eye-contact. Maybe if he concentrated on the highway he could imagine that he was travelling on his own and forget about the crazy girl next to him. Because she was completely crazy! What was she thinking of doing when she got to the city anyway? She didn't have any money, she only had the clothes she stood up in. He observed her unobtrusively, looking at her up and down. She had a short-sleeve T-shirt on with jeans and high heel…

_Fuck! It was as cold as hell out there. When was she going dressed like that? You could even see her nip…God!_

Sam turned his attention back on the road. It had been so long since he'd gotten laid; it was a perfectly normal reaction to have in the face of those breasts and that big ass. He had never been with anybody like that. The girls he'd slept with were always skinny and flat, which was why his curiosity rose more and more each time as he looked at his companion. What would it be like to sleep with someone like that?

_Come on…she's not your type. Don't worry. Just think of something to talk about._

"Where are you going?"

"To Alabama," she replied, eyes fixed on the highway.

"Sweet Home Alabama?" he asked, amused.

_What a crap joke for God's sake._

"No. I'm from Ohio," she said smoothing her trousers down for the third time. Her hands rubbed her arms as if trying to warm them up.

_Just as I thought….where the hell did she think she was going dressed like that._

"Ohio! I've got friends there," said Sam realising how little interest she was showing in the conversation. "Were you thinking of walking to Alabama?"

She looked at him, stunned. "Actually, I was hitch-hiking"

_Hitch-hiking….and I'm sure someone would have taken you….yes, yes._

"Hitch-hiking is dangerous. Didn't your mother ever tell you that? Don't know what kind of murderers you could come across?" he told her half serious.

"I don't doubt it," she said pointedly looking him up and down.

"I'm not one though, so don't worry. You're safe with me"

_In all sense of the words…I would get close to you even if I was desperate._

"See how much better I feel" she answered amused.

_So she does know how to laugh…_

Sam smiled at her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye then gave him a slight smile.

_So she does know how to smile. Maybe she won't make the entire journey miserable._

"And your case?" he asked her watching as she rubbed her arms to gain some warmth. 'Let me see if I can guess….they stole that too?'

"Well. Yes. I went to the toilet at the station and they stole it. I had to leave it outside because the toilet was too small and when I came out it wasn't there anymore."

Sam suppressed his laughter. It really wasn't a laughing matter.

_That's all I need…a dumb chick. Please God, don't let me have a puncture._

"Did you have a lot in it?"

"Not really no." the girl bit her lip trying to remain silent.

"And now they have stolen your bag." She turns towards him in a foul mood.

"Thanks for reminding me! I've only just managed to put it from my mind!" she spat venomously.

_It is about time your claws began to show again._

"I'm sorry' he laughed 'you were right, you had everything under control."

_Come on I've given you enough provocation. What are you going to come out with now?_

"You don't believe that."

"Really, no." Sam started to laugh again.

She hissed in anger and turned towards him.

"Stop the truck! Stop it now!"

Sam stomped on the break and they both smacked into the dashboard. She rubbed her breasts trying to soothe the area where she had been hit. Her nipples grew hard as he stared at her.

_Fuck! Stop doing that…_

She looked at him the expression on her face changing from pain to anger but before she could say anything Sam confronted her.

"Are you crazy? Do want to kill us?"

"I'm getting off here, Blondie. I can't stand you anymore," she said grabbing the door handle. Sam's hand shot out to stop her and felt another shock that she didn't feel.

_Fuck!_

"Come on…we both know you won't get very far on your own," he said with humour.

"Go fuck yourself in the ass!" she screamed at him opening the door and jumping down from the truck.

He did the same, slamming the door shut and running after here.

"Hey! Get back in the truck! It's getting dark," he said finally catching up to her. She kept going, without stopping to look at him.

"Leave me alone!"

"Get back in the truck, right now!" Sam shouted grabbing her arm. She wrenched her arm away as if she had received an electric shock, one however he did not feel this time.

"Look. I don't have time to waste here. I need to get to the city by nightfall. So you either get back in the truck or I leave without you." She turned and carried on going in the direction she had been going.

"You know what? We made a deal, so now you have to stick to your side of it. Get in the truck; I'm not going to leave you here alone"

_What fuckery! I should just let her go…she's a pain in the ass._

She looked at him haughtily whilst trying to stop her teeth chattering from the cold.

_Stubborn and stupid! Is there anything else I need to know?_

Sam took off his corduroy jacket and placed it around her shoulders. If he looked at her breasts again he'd be lost.

"Come on let's go. Now" he said abruptly. He walked back to the truck without glancing back at her. She followed him slowly. This time he didn't help her up and by the time she sat down next to him he already had the engine running.

"Tell me to stop again and I won't go looking for you" he warned her.

"Laugh at me again and you'll taste my fist" she said waving it at him.

_Great, I'm stuck with a bruiser…_

"Well before I meet your fist can I at least know your name?" asked Sam.

_I've been in your company for half an hour and I haven't asked you...shows how much you interest me._

"My name is Mercedes. Mercedes Jones" she said putting the jacket on.

"Mercedes…what kind of name is that?" he laughed, amused. She looked at him with murderous eyes. He noticed and introduced himself.

"I'm Samuel Evans."

"Ok Evans now we've made our introductions do me a favour and get us out of here?"

_Believe me no one wants to get to the city more than me. It would be a pleasure to get rid of you; you're a pain in the neck._

Sam saw how she tried to zip the jacket up without success.

"Not your size? Maybe you could wrap yourself up in a bed sheet, it's a lot bigger."

_I would have never had said that grandpa. It's just that I can't help myself. Don't judge me._

"Just shut up and drive" she took the jacket off giving him again a view of her breasts and covered herself with it. She lay down across the seat, closing her eyes. "Let me know when we get there, I'm going to sleep so I don't have to listen to you."

"As long as you don't snore, everything will be peachy" he told her, laughing nervously.

"You never shut up, do you?" she closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

He wouldn't get to the city before nightfall as he had forseen. There were only two hours left of light so he drove to the first motel he could find. He had to wake her up but he had no idea who she'd react when she found out they still hadn't made it to the city.

"Mercedes," he shook her gently. She grabbed him by the neck, ready to punch him with her right fist. He managed to stop her with his hand but the jacket that was covering her slid down over her breasts giving him another chance to admire them. Sam pulled back quickly, hitting himself on the steering wheel.

"What do you want Evans? Are we there yet?" she said getting up from the seat.

"No, it's night time now. We'll sleep in a motel and tomorrow I'll drop you off in the city." Mercedes reluctantly accepted knowing that he would not keep going no matter how much she begged him.

They climbed down from the truck, locked the door and entered the motel which bore the sign 'The Happy place'. Sam wanted to open the door for her, but she hurried in front of him opening the door and shutting it slightly so he had to open it again.

"Good evening. We need a room with twin beds for the night" she said quickly before he had a chance to speak.

"Have you had a fight?" the old woman behind the reception desk asked.

"What?" Mercedes asked confused.

"Didn't you see the sign on the door? We only allow married couples in. We don't want open relationships, nor home wreckers nor incestual liasons nor anything of that sort. Isn't that right Matthew?"

"That's right, Helen" her husband said in agreement. They looked at each other stupefied. Mercedes turned to go back to the truck but Sam grabbed her waist, pressing her against him.

"No we haven't had a fight. It's just that my wife has a bad headache and can't sleep. The baby wakes her up every hour and she doesn't want to wake me up. I've told her it doesn't matter but she is as stubborn as a mule" Sam explained rubbing Mercedes' belly and giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. Mercedes dug her nails into his hand in reply and he bit his tongue to stop from crying out.

"Oh! You're pregnant? How wonderful! But you need to sleep with your husband, honey. What are they here for if not to look after us and protect us? We have one room left, sign here. Matthew being them the keys." They smiled at her and she gathered the papers for them to sign. Mercedes pushed him away muttering beneath her breath.

"Were you saying something?" the woman returned her gaze to them.

"My wife is very tired, right honey?" he asked her putting his hand on her butt. Mercedes' eyes were wide as saucers and she bit down on her lip, furious.

"Here you go. Go up the stairs, it's the first door on the right, room number six." She grabbed them and went upstairs. Sam waved goodbye after signing and ran up after her. Once he shut the door he waited for the explosion that was coming.

"You touch my butt again and I'll cut your hands off, understood?" She warned him waving her index finger at him. "Same goes for the rest of my body." Sam couldn't help laughing.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't touch you if you paid me!"

"Oh you're an idiot!" she cried exasperated.

"Look who's talking!" he said shaking his head.

"Did you just call me stupid?"

"You called me it first" he said as an excuse.

"Why don't you go to the truck and leave me alone?" she said with her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry?" Sam gaped at her with his mouth open.

"You heard! There's only one bed and I'm not going to share it with you so go sleep in the truck."

"I think you forget who has paid for this room. You go and sleep in the truck," he said emphasizing the 'you' by pointing a finger in her face.

"You want me to sleep there alone?"

"Of course, I don't think anyone's going to steal you, if they did they would bring you back within five minutes."

"You're a moron!" she shouted at him turning round and marching into the bathroom, slamming the door.

"Yes! But at least one with good taste!"

_For God's sake I want to get there already! What a pain in the ass!_

Sam threw himself on the bed without even taking off his shoes. He made himself comfortable and instantly fell asleep dreaming of curvy, big-breasted woman who melted beneath his mouth. His body rolled on top of the sheets almost off the bed. His trousers grew tight, waking him up. He opened his eyes and noticed that she still wasn't back from the bathroom. He then heard her shouting from behind the door.

_What the hell is wrong now!_

He got up hurriedly, running to the door.

"Have you seen a bug and want me to kill it?" he asked.

"I'm locked in, idiot! Get me out!"

_Locked in? Perfect!_

"No way, I'll have the bed to myself" Sam laughed.

"Open this door now or I won't let you sleep Evans!" He carefully tried the door handle but to no avail.

"I'm trying, I'm trying but it won't open. You'll have to stay there!"

"Open this door at once!" Mercedes said desperately.

_Shut up!_

"Get away from the door"

Sam slammed his shoulder into the door with as much force as possible but it still wouldn't open.

"Leave it! I knew you wouldn't be able to. Go get help."

_Absolutely no way!_

He could not leave the room in the state he was in. The motel owner would toss him out immediately. He kicked the door with his foot and the door handle turned and the door opened. Unfortunately the door hit her in the head knocking her to the floor. Mercedes was completely naked before him. The towel she had wrapped round her opened, showing him every one of her hidden treasures.

"Hey! Wake up! Come on!" he said trying not to gaze at her naked body "Mercedes!" She opened her eyes suddenly noticing how cold she had gotten. She got up quickly, covering herself with the towel and spying the erection he now sported behind his trousers.

"Get away from me, pig" she was out of the bathroom in two strides.

"What?'" She turned and directed a fulminating look at his crotch.

"Don't worry, this isn't for you. I already told you I have good taste."

Mercedes sighed pulling the sheets back on the bed and getting in, towel and all.

"You're not going to get dressed?" he asked disbelievingly.

"I'm not wearing dirty clothes to bed," she told him disdainfully "Anyway I don't turn you on, so what's the problem?"

_The problem is that you're a woman after all and I'm too horny right now!_

She closed her eyes and covered herself completely with the sheets whilst he went into the bathroom for a cold shower. He needed to get to the city and fast, maybe he'd meet up with Anna and they could enjoy some of the wild sex they always indulged in. He let the cold water run over him trying to forget everything that had happened in the last few hours. He went back to the bed and noticed how she had uncovered one bare shoulder from the sheets. He lay down beside her, leaving his trousers on but taking his T-shirt off leaving him naked from the waist upwards and covered her again with the sheet.

_I'm not doing it because I care, grandpa. I'm doing it to keep her skin away from mine._

She turned towards him, asleep.

_Great, you're the clingy kind. Perfect!_

The rays of sunlight which came through the window woke him up the next morning. His trousers began to constrict again whilst he saw how her hands were anchored around his waist, caressing him with her nails. Her breasts were completely pressed up against his back. He unsnapped the button on his jeans and unzipped them, trying to release the pressure a bit. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and tried to relax.

Mercedes woke beside him, moving slowly so as not to waken him. The sheets however followed her escape out of the bed, leaving his body uncovered and she could see just where he had his hands. Mercedes grabbed the towel quickly and wrapped herself in it.

"You're sick!"she cried getting out of the bed and running to the bathroom for her clothes. He got up behind her holding his trousers up so they wouldn't fall down.

"Would you prefer it if I used you instead?" Sam entered the bathroom, again seeing her naked.

"Get out of here!" she screamed whilst trying in vain to put her bra on.

It was really fun watching her, from the doorway, seeing her struggle to put it on.

"Do you want me to help?" he offered, amused.

"You're disgusting!" she broke a nail trying to snap the fastenings together.

"I'm being serious, I've had lots of practice…taking them off and putting them on." She had finally managed to put the bra on and had hurriedly finished dressing. However she was missing something.

"You look for my jacket?" She turned to face him.

"Where is it?"

"What do want it for if it doesn't fit you?" She walked up to him pulling him so that he leaned towards her and reached up to murmur something in his ear.

"I need it" she purred.

_Oh no! Don't do that…_

Sam watched as her hand stroked his leg through the material of his trousers.

_No, do not do that…._

"Enough! What do you think you're doing?" He moved away from her quickly, stepping out of the bathroom. He grabbed the jacket and tossed it to her. She caught it mid-flight and felt the pockets, looking for something.

"What's that? A present from your boyfriend? God no, no one could stand you for more than half an hour," Mercedes found the ring which she had put in the pocket of the jacket and she put it on under his intense gaze. Then she left the jacket on the bed and sat down stroking the ring gently whilst she began to breathe calmly again.

"Hey put the jacket on!" Sam placed it over her shoulders and sat down next to her on the bed.

"'Is it from him? From your boyfriend?"

_I take back what I said. I'm sure there is someone on this earth who wants to spend the rest of their life with you. Someone who is crazy enough._

She shook her head. A tear ran down her right cheek.

_Oh come on! Don't screw me! Don't cry now!_

"Who is it from?" he found himself asking.

"It was from my mom." She said in a barely audible whisper.

_Was? Oh shit!_

"Is she alive?" She shook her head, caressing the ring with her index finger.

"And your dad?"

_Since when have I become so nosy?_

"I never knew him. The son of a bitch left when my mom told him she was pregnant."

_Son of a bitch was too good for him!_

"I'm sorry," Sam said, wiping the tears from her cheek. She looked at him, stunned.

"If you're trying to soften me up so I'll sleep with you it's not going to work, Blondie" she said pushing his hand away and drying her eyes.

"I would not sleep with you even if I were desperate" he said annoyed. She got up, exasperated.

"Bet you've never been with someone like me, right" he said.

"And you? Have you been with someone like you?" she jeered at him.

"Very funny I'm dying here! Have you or not?"

"I don't like white boys" she said finally.

"Racist" Sam said under his breath.

"_What?"' _

"I called you racist," Mercedes eyes were wide with incredulity.

"Have you been with someone like me? I think not!" she asked defiantly.

"You mean…someone your size? No, I can assure you of that,"

"You are an imbecile!" she said pushing him with her hands on his perfect abs.

"I thought that much was already clear," he laughed.

"Why don't you have a cold shower and then we go?" she said, stepping back.

"Maybe we could share…How long has it been? You know…" he gyrated his hips and thrusted along with pumping his arms to illustrate what he meant. "You know…black guys may have them bigger, something which I doubt, but don't know how to use them like me or you wouldn't be so uptight"

Mercedes snorted in rage at his side and turned her back on him, trying to remain calm.

"I want to get out of here," she said without looking at him.

"Ok give me two minutes," Sam entered the bathroom and stripped quickly and stepped under the cold spray. He would get to the city soon and be free of her and he could go and see Anna for a bit of fun.

He came out and said "You're not going to shower?" putting on his T-shirt. "You are not getting into the truck smelling like that." She opened her mouth to reply but finally did as he said and went into the bathroom. She might not get an opportunity for a shower in such a hurry.

"Do not come in," she warned him.

"It hadn't even occurred to me," he watched her close the door without shutting it fully. She didn't want to be locked in again because he would probably leave her stuck there. Mercedes came out twenty minutes later, with wet and curly hair falling down to her shoulders. Sam adored girls with long hair, because his finger could play with it whilst they were having sex.

"I was about to leave without you,"

"And break our deal? I bet you're not one of those that doesn't keep their side of the bargain up," she said, putting the jacket around her shoulders and walking to the door.

"You're right. Come on" he said opening the door for her. Without being able to avoid it he stared at her butt as she tied to release her hair from under the collar of the jacket. The motel owner waited for them with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Mr and Mrs Evans. How did you sleep? Well, I hope. Breakfast is included. Would you like something special?" She said as though on auto-pilot.

"I need a coffee to wake me up," Mercedes replied.

"No honey, you can't drink coffee in your condition. I'll bring you a hot chocolate" the old woman said.

"Bring another one for me please. Hot chocolates for everybody" said Sam beside her. Mercedes looked at him annoyed.

"Come on Mercedes, smile a bit will you or the baby will come out a real sourpuss" they followed the old woman to the dining room. Sam pulled out a chair for her and she reluctantly sat down.

Five minutes later, the woman came back with a tray full of pastries and two cups of hot chocolate.

"How quiet you are!'" she said putting the stuff on the table.

"Oh cookies!" Sam grabbed a handful and stuffed them in his mouth without delay. Both Mercedes and the woman looked at him in shock.

"Is he always that hungry?" the woman asked.

"Apparently so," Mercedes said dumbfounded.

"Enjoy them!" she said leaving them alone.

"Ank you," Sam called whilst chewing "They're great! Yuwanna one?"

"No thank you. I've lost my appetite watching you eat."

"Come on, honey. Eat something, or the baby will be skin and bone." Sam laughed again, trying not to choke offering her a cookie from the plate.

"Come on, just one, she's watching us," Mercedes turned to see where the woman was but she was nowhere to be found. When she turned back to the table Sam rammed a cookie into her mouth. Whilst from taking a bite she took the opportunity to sink her teeth into his fingers.

"Ow! Be more careful!" Mercedes covered her mouth with her napkin trying not to laugh. Sam looked at her, shaking his head whilst taking a sip of the chocolate.

"The moustache doesn't look good on you," she said, amused. He looked at her confused for a couple of seconds, then realised what she meant. He grabbed his napkin and wiped the moustache the hot chocolate had left.

"Drink yours…let's see how it looks on you" he said laughingly. She put the cup down, annoyed.

"Come on don't be stubborn, do it for the baby,'' Mercedes leaned forward beckoning him with her finger and with the same finger tapped him on the forehead repeating

"There is no baby Evans. You'll end up believing your own lies," he shrugged pushed the cup towards her.

"It's an order. If you don't drink the chocolate, you don't get in the truck,"

"If you don't shower, you don't get in, and if you don't drink the chocolate you don't get in…What's next?" she asked tiredly. He looked at her laughing biting his lower lip.

"I'm not going to sleep with you. I would rather walk to Alabama, if necessary."

"You wouldn't even get there in two years," he told her again pushing the cup towards her.

"'Well at least I wouldn't have to make love with someone I abhor," she said whilst she took a sip from the cup.

"I don't make love, sweetheart. I have sex. Wild and unrestrained sex," he replied, arching his eyebrows. She left the cup on the table, almost choking on the chocolate, whilst dying of embarrassment.

"Well go find yourself someone else," she finally replied.

"When I get to the city, that's the first thing I'm going to do," said Sam grabbing another cookie and swallowing it whole.

"Good for you," she replied.

"-Ood," he said chewing. "You too should look for someone to get rid of that sour mood you're in," She was about to answer him when the old woman suddenly appeared, saving her from continuing the argument.

"Would you like more chocolate? More cookies?"

"No, thank you." Mercedes said drily.

"But you haven't eaten anything honey! You're the pregnant one, not him. You're the one who has to eat," she said.

"I've told her, ma'am but you know she's as stubborn as a mule."

"Don't worry, I'll get you some more," she was on her way to the kitchen when she turned around remembering.

"Honey, wipe that moustache off, I can't believe your husband didn't tell you." Mercedes narrowed her eyes at him as she saw Sam laughing hysterically. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth.

"Come on lets go," she whispered leaning forward with her hands on the table. "I can't stand that woman," she covered her mouth with a hand, in case someone heard her.

"Why because she reminds you of yourself?" he smiled arching his eyebrows and biting his lip again.

"Really? And just how is that?"

"You're both a pain in the butt; the only difference is she at least gives me cookies."

Sam put his napkin down catching the murderous glance of his companion. Truth be told, he'd miss her. He'd be alone again with no one to make the fun of. He was also curious as to what she would do, given that she had no money and only the clothes she stood up in and was without anywhere to stay day or night. She was alone, completely alone. Her mom had died and her dad didn't exist. She was alone with no one to turn to. He watched her playing with her spoon, completely wrapped up in her own thoughts and he thought she looked even more vulnerable than when she had told him her mother had died. Even more so than when he had seen her cry for the first time. He was sure that she was not at all like the image she presented to the world. He was also sure that she would never open up to anyone the way she had just done with him. It had happened due to a moment of weakness when she had found her mother's ring but it would not happen again. Mercedes had put her armour back on.

"Let's go," he said regaining her attention.

"Don't you want more cookies?" she asked grumpily.

"I'm full, if you don't want to eat anything, then I won't force you. Come on, let's go,"

The old woman was making her way back with another plate of pastries and cookies just in time to see them get up from the table.

"You're going? But you haven't eaten anything, honey," she said worried.

"We're in a hurry. Could we have the bill please?" Mercedes replied, grabbing Sam's hand.

_What are you doing?_

Their fingers laced together as if they formed part of the same mould. As if after so long they had finally found their twin. She looked at him giving him a beautiful smile, which the old woman watched emotionally.

"You make a lovely couple. Look after her and the baby. Promise?" she asked Sam, smiling.

He nodded his head, caressing Mercedes' thumb with his own for a second.

"Follow me, you can sign and then go," she went in front of them but turned round every so often to see if they were still holding hands.

Sam signed the papers and handed over the bills to the woman whilst Mercedes gave the key back to her husband. They had just gotten to the door when the old woman shouted something that made them turn back towards her.

"You promised, son! You said you would look after her!" He waved farewell to her.

_Yep, I promised. Only until we get to the city, then we will go our separate ways._

"What was that," he asked, once they were out of the motel.

"You see? I can act too but I didn't need to touch your ass to make her think we were married." He laughed at her flippant remark.

_I will definately miss you when you've gone._

He opened the door for her to climb up, this time without pushing her. Her foot slipped and she almost fell on top of him. His strong arms held her and helped her up into the cab, so she could sit down.' She let out a relieved breath, she had been sure she was going to end up on the floor.

"Haven't you got a joke for this?" she said annoyed.

"No." he said seriously. "I thought you were going to fall and we'd lose the baby."

"There's no baby!" she screamed at him whilst her closed the door and took two strides around the truck to his side.

"We should think about names. Samuel is good- like his dad and great-grandfather," he told her amused.

"Can you just stop joking about someone that doesn't exist and will never exist?" she asked, tired of the sheer idiocy of it all.

"Why don't you want to have kids?"

"Not with you!" she shouted in exasperation.

Sam laughed to see her so apoplectic with rage. He had to acknowledge that he loved to get her angry; he couldn't stop looking at the wrinkles that appeared on her forehead when she got mad.

"You've hurt me," he said biting his lips as if in pain. "I hope you're happy,"

"Samuel-" she called him by his first name for the first time.

_Samuel! It sounds much better than Evans coming from her lips._

"Yes?" he paid her as much attention as he could without taking his eyes of the road.

"Just shut up and drive."

"Roger that, boss" Fifteen minutes later Sam was bored of the monotonous journey, the radio and the silence that now reigned in the cab.

"Jones…" he called, making her turn towards him puzzled.

"Now you call me Jones?"

"Now you call me Samuel?" he replied suavely.

"What do you want time to call you? It's your name," she said, stunned.

"You called me by my surname before," he explained, scratching his head.

"Well I hadn't shared a bed with you, or had breakfast with you or held your hand."

"So we are something more now?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"And we're back on the same topic! I'm not going to sleep with you!"

He shifted in his seat irritably. "Do you think I'm incapable of travelling with a woman without going to bed with her? Because I can do it, I assure you. I promised that woman I'd look after you, and I always keep my promises. And that promise also implies not touching you."

"I would never let you touch me," she relied arrogantly.

"Yeah, right. That's why you grabbed my hand not even half an hour ago," he jeered at her.

"The woman was there! Would you have preferred it if I had kissed you?"

_That's a rhetorical question, right? Because if it's not…the answer is yes._

"'I would not have kissed you," Mercedes went on seeing that he had not yet replied "I don't go around giving kisses away, you know. Kisses are earnt, affection is earnt. Love is earnt,"

Sam looked at her out of the corner of his eyes whilst remain focused on the road.

"You've become a poet!" he couldn't help laughing at her.

"Yes, yes you laugh. But I bet you've never known what love is, I bet you've never loved anyone in a way that would make you want to leave everything behind and be with them,"

_No, I've never known that kind of love. I don't know what that is and I'm afraid that you seem to be able to read me like an open book._

"You're wrong Ms Smarty-pants," he said scratching his head again. "Of course I have known love. In fact all of the girls I've been with have known love thanks to me," he joked.

"I'm not talking about sex Samuel. I'm talking about feelings," she said shaking her head.'

"I am too," he insisted.

"I can't imagine you being in love," she said stroking her mother's ring with her fingers, making him take his concentration off the road momentarily.

_That makes two of us, Mercedes. That makes two of us._

I supposed by how you speak about it so easily, you have fallen in love several times' She shook her head beside him.

"I'm driving; I can't see your gestures,"

"No Samuel. I haven't fallen in love. I still haven't found the guy who'll say 'Hey baby, I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Just tell me yes and make me the happiest man in the world' and for me to be able to reply 'I also love you, and my answer is yes' "

_I hope you have better luck than mine. I'm serious; I don't think I'm ever going to feel it._

"Pure sappiness," he said, pursing his lips while he shook his head. Mercedes shrugged her shoulders, knowing he was never going to change his mind. For a few minutes silence descended, but Sam broke it and brought her out of her thoughts by continuing with what seemed to be his favourite topic.

"So…if it's a boy we'll call it Samuel and if it's a girl Mercedes?" he smiled at her, amused. She snorted beside him.

"Are you going to keep carping on about the same thing the whole journey?"

"Do you want to talk about something else? I happen to like this one…what was your mother's name," as soon as he said it he wanted to smack himself over the head with whatever he coud lay his hands on.

_Her mother? You had to go and mention her mother! Fuck! You are stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"She was called Patrice," she said once again touching the ring.

_I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I mentioned her. I'm an idiot._

Sam saw her put her head down, lost in her thoughts. Obviously he hadn't only reminded her of her mother, but her mind was torturing her now with past memories.

"_I'm_ one of four," he said changing the subject quickly "they all live in Tennessee."

Mercedes looked at him curiously. He had seemingly managed to get her to forget the bad memories for a second.

"Are you the middle one?" she asked interestedly. He nodded his head, smiling at the way she was finally taking an interest in the conversation.

"How old are you? You seem young," she said looking at him intently.

"Twenty-six and you?"

"In three months I'll be twenty-six," she replied, still smiling.

"Well, maybe we'll be lucky and the baby will be born around the same time?"

She sighed, thoroughly fed up off hearing the same nonsense.

"You want to be a dad, don't you? That's what you really want, isn't it?"

"What," Sam gaped at her incredulously, looking away from the highway for a couple of seconds.

Mercedes turned her away, her eyes on the road.

"That's the only reason I can see for you to be going on about a non-existent baby," she explained.

He laughed under his breath.

"I keep on about it because it annoys you,"

"Yeah, that's what it looked like to me…" she said shaking her head. "Tell me more about your family."

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><p><em>So, what do you think? Tell us in a review ;)<em>

_In this story, there will be tears as well. Not just smiles and laughters ;) In the next chapter you'll see ^^ Thanks for reading it :)_

_The title and the song are translated too. The original song is "Buscando un Corazón" by La Guardia._


	2. A Thousand Streets Lead Me To You

___Hi! Here it is the second chapter of the story ^^ Hope you like it! Thanks to Anni again who translated it and thank you all for your amazing reviews and your alerts and favourites. I never thought to have so many reviews from the first chapter of the story. I'm still in shock with your beautiful comments :D_

_As always, Sam's thoughts are written in italic._

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just the truck. xD<strong>

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><p><em><strong>A Thousand Streets Lead Me To You<strong>_

_That scent of a woman_

_Will take me to where you are_

_In a dark room_

_Or in a lion's den_

_I can lose myself in alcohol_

_And draw a heart_

_I can pretend that there is someone else_

_Who now takes your place_

_A thousand streets lead me to you_

_And if I have to choose_

_A thousand streets lead me to you_

_Tell me which path I need to follow._

During the next few hours, Sam told her about his family. Their names, what they did, their likes and dislikes. He even admitted to her that he missed his grandpa, which had made Mercedes turn towards him stupefied, to check that she had indeed heard him well. He told her about his Saturday fishing trips with his brother and how his grandpa, who was the best fisherman in Tennessee, had divulged his best tips to them. He told her how he had come by the truck and the bad blood that had always existed between his grandpa and his uncle John, his dad's brother. He told her about his younger siblings and how mischievous they had been when they were small and how his dad had taught all his children how to play guitar.

He told her about his mom and his promise to go home for thanksgiving and how she became emotional each time he called her even if it to say hello. Mercedes listened with rapt attention without asking hardly any questions, completely shocked by the way Sam spoke of them. She saw how much he missed them and although he said time and time again that the highway was his life and the most important thing to him, Mercedes knew that deep down inside he was lonely. Due to his nature though he would never admit it.

Sam could not believe how he had told her everything about his life in two hours. It was not that he had a lot to tell but the fact that he had told her disconcerted him. He had probably done so because he knew he was never going to see her again so really telling a stranger all about his private life wasn't that crazy. Besides she was completely enraptured in his story and listening to him which was something completely new. At least for him as he was now used to her tantrums and comments.

They would be shortly arriving at the city it was there their paths would separate for good. And even though he had waited for this moment for so long he could not help but wonder what she was going to do once they had gone their separate ways. She didn't have any money or anyone to help her and although he don't want to admit it that worried him. He had promised her that he would look after her and he wouldn't be able to keep his promise. However he had decided that before she left his life for good he would find a way to hide some money amongst her belongings so that she could get by at least for a short while. He didn't know how that he would engineer it so that she would have no idea what he had done. She would probably kill him if she saw him and Sam did not want to die than so young.

"How much further is it?" Asked a sleepy Mercedes. She had fallen asleep after talking for so long and he had not wanted to wake her until they arrived at the city. She slept like an angel. An angel that distracted him from the highway every time she moved and he had to keep covering her shoulders with his jacket constantly so she didn't feel cold.

"We just are arriving. Are you hungry? It's one o'clock."

"Why did you let me sleep so long?" She asked stretching and sitting up in her seat.

"To be honest you were snoring and I couldn't wake you no matter how hard I tried. So to drown you out I started singing."

She did not answer him as he had expected but limited herself to release a soft laugh under her breath while she covered her shoulders again with jacket.

"And it hasn't rained? I would have thought that the clouds would have heard you and wept out of pure emotion." She joked.

_One of two things, the sleep has done you the world of good or here I'm talking to a completely different Mercedes._

He sent her a crooked smile and repeated his previous question.

"Are you hungry? I know a bar near here that sells hamburgers to die for."He waited impatiently for her answer. When she didn't reply she turned his head to see what was going on.

"You need to leave me in the city Evans. That was the deal. I need to get there understood?"

"The bar is in the city. I'll take you there I promise you. But before you go you need to try these hamburgers you won't regret it. I swear you won't." Mercedes exhaled before finally accepting his offer.

"Fine I'll try the hamburgers," she said dragging her words out.

"Great! He cried pumping his fist in the air.

Half an hour later they walked into the Rolly Burger ready to try the best hamburgers in the whole city.

"Sam!" Mercedes saw a blonde girl of about 1 m 70 running towards them almost about to fall. The girl had run to where they were almost flying because the shoes she had on caused to stumble. Sam caught her with open arms and helped her remain upright.

"My Romeo! I've missed you!" She said once placing one of her hands on his crotch and rubbing without apology. "You don't know how much..."

"Anna. Anna, hang on a second," he said pushing her hand away from his trousers, only to have the girl use it to grab his ass. Sam sighed, trying to get away from her hands which were now flying up to his hair to caress him. The blonde put her mouth next to his ear and whispered something that only he could hear. Sam smiled at her whilst he put his hands on her waist and turned her and replied "Not now Anna. We're here to try your famous burgers. Can you be a doll and bring us two. What would you like to drink Mercedes?"

The blond finally stopped devouring him with her eyes and centred her gaze on a girl who was with him. The concern which flashed in her eyes for a second banished when she took a good look at her. Apparently, Anna did not see Mercedes as a rival for Sam's body.

"A coca cola, please" she replied as though what she had just witnessed what almost normal thing in the world.

"And you, honey?" The blond asked Sam.

"The same please," he smiled at Anna and gestured to Mercedes to follow him to a nearby table which was free.

"Your friend is so accommodating!" She said smiling at him "And you say it has been a long time…" she sent him knowing wink. Sam laughed as he noted the way Mercedes was watching Anna.

"I suppose she gives you wild and free sex, of course,"

"You suppose right," he joked.

"Well! You've found what you've been searching for! And it hasn't taken you long at all, I'm really happy for you. Gimme a high-five!" she said lifting her hand.

He high-fived her and received an even bigger shock than he had before.

"Are your hands wet?" asked Sam.

"No, why are you asking?"

"You didn't feel it?" he asked incredulously.

"Didn't feel what?"

"The shock! You've just given me an electric shock."

"What have you been drinking?"

"Nothing! Didn't you feel it?" he said as he saw her looking at him like he was crazy. "Leave it, I must have imagined it." Mercedes shrugged and noticed that his little friend was returning with their order.

"Be careful, she's coming back. If I were you I'd be worried that the next thing she'll be sitting on your lap and you'll be feeding her," she laughed, amused.

"Believe me that would be nothing for Anna," Mercedes shook her head. Without a doubt this was the best part of the journey. She would miss the laughter once they went their separate ways.

"Here you go, Sam" Anna said placing his plate on the table with care whilst she left the rest on the tray, leaving Mercedes to get her own plate. She grabbed the Coca-Cola bottle and filled it for him too as Mercedes watched. Mercedes struggled not to laugh at that precise moment and she was sure that Sam too was struggling not to laugh as well. It was so funny to see her crawling all over him like he were a slab of meat.

"Thanks, Anna. We'll talk later….That table there is calling you, see?" She left to go and see to the other table.

"Poor girl…she's got some really bad taste…" Mercedes said hitting herself lightly on her forehead. Instead of replying, Sam grabbed his hamburger and took a big bite and she had to look away to avoid choking with laughter. He ate like he was starving, like he hadn't eaten anything all day even though he had devoured all those cookies in the motel. Mercedes squared her shoulders and grabbed the hamburger with her hands ready to take a bite whilst he stared at her chewing as if to watch her eating.

"I can't eat if you stare at me," she said pushing the plate back.

"Are you going to start again like this morning? Get it out of your head. You're going to eat and you're going to eat now! Come on."

"Well look somewhere else," she told him sulkily.

"You're acting like a child. Eat" Sam turned his head to find something else to entertain him but Anna had already returned to the kitchen so he turned his gaze back to her to see how she liked her first taste of the hamburger.

"Mum," she protested, about to choke.

"It's not as bad as all that," as he said this he took an even bigger bite of his hamburger than before, making Mercedes struggle to keep from laughing and choke at the same time. " 'his is 'ow you eat iff"

"You've got some really bad manners," she said once she had swallowed her mouthful down.

"And proud of it," he laughed making her smile "Is it really a fate worse than death?"

"Yes, really," she confessed.

Sam ate what was left of his hamburger with another bite whilst she stared at him astounded, holding her still in her hand.

"Where do you put it all?" she asked, incredulously.

"I exercise a lot. I have to because I spend a lot of my time sitting and if I don't exercise my body will go to sleep." She nodded, watching Anna return to the table.

"How was it Sam? Delicious?" she asked him whilst she played with the hair at the nape of his neck. Mercedes bit into her burger again in order to stop laughing, whilst the blond looked at her with repugnance.

"Very good, Anna. As always," he said getting up and pushing his chair back. He leaned over and said to Mercedes "I'm going to the bathroom; I'll be back in a second. Ok?" He smiled at her and she smiled back as Anna sent her a look of disgust.

Sam ran to the bathroom. He was desperate to go and had been so for the past ten minutes but he had not wanted to until he had seen Mercedes eat her burger. Something told him that if he went to the bathroom she would wrap it in a napkin and discard it as she had done this morning refusing to eat the cookies. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't eat. What was the reason? Her mom? Sam didn't know but while she was with him, she would eat. She wouldn't want for anything.

_While she's with me, I'll protect her grandpa; I'll look after her like I promised. So that you'll feel proud of me._

But there remained only a short time to keep his promise. They had already arrived in the city and everything would be over soon. They would go their separate ways and he would never see her again, wouldn't hear her teasing, or her comebacks or her laughter. He wouldn't see her smile again. He would miss her; he would miss her a lot. She had made the journey pleasant and fun. Sam knew for sure that he had never been on a journey as fun as this one. In spite of being insufferable she had earned his friendship, or at least that's how he saw it. Maybe she didn't think like that but he saw her as a friend, not a stranger whom he had saved from being kicked to death by purse-snatchers. He had only known her for a day but she knew more about his life than Anna, with whom he had spent whole days. He zipped himself up and fastened his jeans, flushing the toilet. He washed his hands and left the bathroom. He hoped that Anna hadn't made Mercedes feel uncomfortable although he would bet it was the other way around if anything. He laughed thinking about her acid humour; he had never met a girl who could get him going as fast as she could. Most girls would look at him as if they were waiting for him to apologise for the sarcastic comments he sometimes made, but she didn't. She replied in kind if not worse and sometimes left him speechless, wracking his brain to be able to find a comeback. Deep down he knew that Mercedes was like him, a lonely soul who wanted nothing more than to fall in love in a difficult and selfish world.

He returned to the table, to find Anna, collecting their plates and smiling as she saw him.

"Where's Mercedes?" he asked her, seeing his corduroy jacket hanging on her seat.

"Who?" Anna asked.

"Mercedes, the girl that was with me," he said impatiently.

"Oh, she left," she shrugged her shoulders.

"What do you mean she left?"

_Where?_

"I went to the kitchen for a second and when I came back she had gone, there was just this on the table." She handed him a napkin with blue writing on it, a grease stain on one of its corners. He snatched it out of her hands, scaring her with his reaction.

"What's wrong, Sam?" Anna asked seeing how he didn't respond and how he was reading the note hurriedly.

"_You've fulfilled your part of the bargain; you've got me to the city. It's time for me to keep my side and be on my way. In the end you really weren't how I thought you were. I'll miss you."_

Sam crumpled the napkin in anger and grabbed his jacket, running towards the door.

"Sam! Aren't you coming back?" Anna hurried after him.

"Later, Anna" he slammed the door shut and look left and right trying to decide which way to look first. What direction would she have gone in? Where would she have gone? His hands squeezed his jacket tightly. She hadn't even taken it with her to protect her from the cold. He hadn't even had time to hide the money in her pocket and she was now walking through the city, with nowhere to go, without any money and without a jacket to keep her warm.

_Why did you leave without saying goodbye, Mercedes? You could have at least said goodbye. Please God help me find her. Please just give me a sign. Show me the way I beg you._

He searched and searched, all the places he knew and places he had never been too but by nightfall he halted his search, understanding that he would never see Mercedes Jones again.

His feet took him to Anna's house, searching for solace. She was waiting for him like always. She kissed him passionately as he stepped through the door, hanging onto him like a monkey while he carried her to her bed to make her moan and forget everything. His hands found the hem of her shirt, whilst his tongue met her playful one. He took the shirt off, throwing it away and kissing her neck and her breasts making her arch against him. He tumbled her down onto the bed, tugging her trousers off and kissing her legs, caressing them with his hands. He took her bra off quickly, sucking at her breasts making her moan.

"Sam!" He woke from his trance, realising what he was doing and realising that it was not what he wanted to do. He got up from the bed and grabbed his head with his hands.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry," he said sitting down on the bed. She grabbed her robe and put it on tying it at the waist. She hugged him, stroking his hair.

"It's ok, it's normal. We haven't been together in a long time," she tried to understand.

"No it's not that. I'm worried about her,"

"There's no need to be. She went on her way. It's what she wanted?"

"You know what Anna, I just don't know?' he said pulling back and looking her in the eyes.

"She told me she needed money fast and I told her that the only place to get it was the Rouge Bar."

"For the love of God, Anna! You've sent her to a whorehouse! How could you! God!"

"She said she'd do anything. Anything," she said emphasizing her words. Sam covered his face with his hands, incredulous. This could not be happening.

"She knows it's a whorehouse. She knows and decided to go there anyway. Don't worry about her, she'll be fine." She said getting up from the bed and grabbing his hands.

"Are you listening to yourself? You've sent her out to whore herself!" he shouted shaking her hands off.

"No I didn't! She decided to go!"

"You put the idea in her head! For God's sake! She's alone, Anna. Her mom has just died and her father ran out before she was born. Alone! Do you know what that is? And you've sent her to the Rouge Bar!"

"I'm sorry," she lowered her head.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Anna. Pray, pray that nothing has happened to her," he said grabbing his jacket off the floor and making for the door.

"Where are you going" she shouted running after him.

"I'm going to get her," Sam replied, shutting the door in her face. He came down the stairs three at a time almost slipping and having to hold onto the banister. He hit the street breathing deeply and running towards the truck, pulling his keys out of his pocket. His hands were sweaty, trying to find the key to open it. They slipped through his fingers and he choked back a cry and picked them up from the sodden ground. It had rained just as she said it would if he sang. He opened the door and climbed up; not wasting a second switched on the engine and pulled off as quickly as possible.

_I've got to get there; I've got to get there! For the love of God Mercedes! Did it cost you so much to ask for help?_

He ran through several red lights. He knew that he was driving carelessly and in addition to being a serious risk to pedestrians, he also knew he could lose him license if the police saw him. But nothing mattered to him, nothing mattered but getting her out of that seedy joint. He didn't care about his license or his truck. Nothing mattered!

The journey was taking too long. He was driving with his foot always on the gas and all his concentration on the road. He had never been this careful even when he was driving hazardous loads. He knew exactly where the Rouge Bar was, his uncle had taken him there once. When his granddad had found out, he had thrown him out of the house, telling his dad that he did not want to see his 'dear' brother again in the house and didn't speak a word to Sam for two weeks. He made him see how mistaken he'd been in going with his uncle to such a place...

The Rouge bar was a dangerous place. In addition to being a whorehouse, there wasn't a day or night that went past without a drunken brawl breaking out or fights between winners and losers whose only intent was to get their money come what may, and who were not going to leave without it. Tonny, the owner was an unscrupulous man who was always surrounded by thugs that did his bidding. The majority of his girls were terrified, with nowhere to go and no one to help them.

Sam slammed his hand on the steering wheel trying to calm his frustration. He wouldn't get there in time, he knew that but he didn't care about what happened. He just wanted to get her back, to make her safe. Look after her; protect her like he had promised.

The wheels of the truck screeched as he stepped on the break slamming him against the steering wheel just as he had done when she had ordered him to stop.

_Mercedes…_

_Mercy…_

He entered the bar like a whirlwind, everyone in the joint staring at his entrance. He looked for her but couldn't see her. The most likely thing was that she was upstairs with a client from the bar. He made his way towards Tonny who was looking at him from where he was seated at the bar, drinking a beer.

"Where's the new girl?" He asked, without wasting any time.

"Who Beyoncé?" the owner of the bar looked him up and down as if he reminded him of someone.

"Beyoncé" Sam asked astounded as realisation dawned. "Yes, yes Beyoncé."

"You'll have to wait your turn, boy. She's upstairs with Ray…she'll be down in half an hour"

He didn't see Sam's fist impact against his dace. Sam shoved him off the stool, throwing him on the floor. He didn't stop to look back but ran upstairs as if his life depended on it. But it wasn't his life, it was Mercy's. He knew that what he was about to see he would never be able to forget but the thought didn't stop him. He looked into each of the rooms until he finally found a girl in the corridor.

"Where is the new girl?" he asked her grabbing her forcefully and shaking her without thought.

The girl didn't speak but pointed towards a door with her finger. She apparently was mute. Sam ran to the door, throwing it open. What he saw halted him from a second; making his legs buckle almost dropping him to the ground. Mercedes lay on the bed half naked, her trousers still on but without her shirt. One of her bra straps was torn and her breast was exposed. The he supposed was Ray who looked to be around fifty was on top of her, kissing her and licking her all over while she lay perfectly still with her gaze on the ceiling. She was crying. Mercedes was crying while the man groped her and tried to get her pants off.

"Get away from her, you son of a bitch!"

Sam threw himself on top of him, with all the rage he felt inside. Grabbing him around the neck he pulled him back off the bed. He'd caught him unguarded and he didn't have time to react being dragged back towards the wall where Sam began punching him with his fists, with his elbows and with everything he could use to forget what he had just seen. The man slid down the wall onto the floor. Sam's mind clouded over and his feet acted of their own accord, kicking him in the stomach with all of their strength.

"Don't you ever touch her again in your life! Never!," he said while he tried not to cry. This was too much for him. Way too much. He couldn't bear it.

"Stop…stop" the man pleaded holding his hand up his mouth covered in blood. "I won't touch her again. I swear!" Sam, seeing at what he had done, turned to look for her. And he didn't like what he saw. Mercedes still had her gaze fixed on one corner of the room, completely removed from what had just happened. She hadn't moved, her trousers were still undone and her breast was still exposed by her torn bra. He ran towards her to get her out of her trance.

"Mercy…Mercy, please. We've got to get out of here" She looked at him, unable to stop crying.

"I can't"

"Come on. For the love of God get up and come with me," he said helping her to sit up and putting her T-shirt on. He buttoned her jeans and pulled her up from the bed.

"I need the money, Sam. I need- "

He covered her mouth with his hands to stop the flow of harsh words that were hurting him.

"Come on, it's an order. Don't make me carry you, please," he begged, helpless.

"Why? You wouldn't be able to?"

_Not now, Mercedes. This isn't the time for jokes._

"Of course I would be, don't talk nonsense. If I carry you we won't get out of here. I wouldn't be able to defend you; my hands would be too full. Hurry up come on! They'll come up here!"

_I don't know what the hell they are still doing downstairs._

He held out his hand and she grabbed it with force, as though she were at the edge of a cliff and she needed an anchor to keep her from falling. They both went in the hallway. Ray had already gotten out of the room and was probably warning them downstairs.

"Where do you think you're going, whore?" Tonny asked as soon as they hit the bottom of the stairs.

As Sam had suspected, they had been waiting for them. Ray was also there, propped up on the bar while one the girls fussed over him and tended to his injuries.

"You signed a contract. You're crazy if you think we're going to let you go with Daddy's pretty boy here. I didn't think you wanted anything to do with whores; Evans" Tonny aimed his next words at him. "I've heard about you. Nothing to do with whores huh? They're not wrong when they compare you to your uncle John. You're a disgrace as a trucker and as a man. If you think I'm going to let you take her, you are very much mistaken."

"Get out of my way, Tonny!" he said holding Mercedes' hand tightly.

"She's ours, boy. We're not going to let you take her," one of the thugs that were with Tonny said.

"She's not yours, move away,"

"She's ours. We've already fucked her and she enjoyed it. Isn't that right, boys? She sure knows how to move" Tonny said spitting venom. Sam let go of her hand and threw himself at Tonny, knocking him to the floor with a head-butt.

"Don't let them get away!" he shouted at his thugs, who grabbed Sam's arms immobilising him.

"Go Mercy! Get out of here!" he shouted trying to throw off his two assailants.

"No! I'm not going without you!" she said charging at them, punching them and biting one of the thugs' hands. Tonny was back on his feet and pulled her off them, holding her from behind and squeezing her breasts.

"I don't like fat chicks, sweetheart. But I got to admit all that meat sits well on you," he said his hand on her ass making her toss and turn trying to escape.

"Don't touch her, son of a bitch!" shouted Sam before one of the thugs punched him several times in the stomach trying to shut him up.

"You're too late, Evans. That's the least of what I've done to her," the bar owner said while he groped her through her trousers. Sam struggled again and received more punches that knocked him silly for a moment. Mercedes cried while she looked at him pleadingly and there was nothing he could do. Nothing.

"Let him go" She said to Tonny. "I'll stay and fulfil my contract." Mercedes closed her eyes, trying to forget what she had just agreed to but her heart started when she heard his voice forcing her to open them again.

"No!" Sam cried. "Don't do it! Get out of here! Go!"

_No, beautiful. Don't do this…not because of me. God help us._

"It's the best choice you've made in your life, sweetheart" Tonny said putting his face next to hers and biting her right ear. She closed her eyes again, holding herself still while Tonny groped her in front of everyone. She was trying to forget the catcalls and clapping ringing through the bar, Sam's helpless cries echoing in the middle of them.

"Mercy! Don't do it! Leave her alone you fucker! I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!" he shouted, trying to break free from the guys that held him. He could barely move from the beating they had already given him but his body kept trying to get free without success.

"Mercy….I like it….it means compassion, right?" Tonny asked him turning his gaze from Mercedes towards Sam. "Why don't you beg for mercy, Evans? Get him kneeling, boys. Make him kiss my floor…maybe after that I'll let him go. His thugs forced Sam onto the floor and rubbed his face in the spilt drink and cigarette butts that littered the floor.

"Feels good to kiss the floor I walk on, doesn't it?" Tony laughed at him while he held on to Mercedes with one hand.

"Leave him alone," she begged on a sob. "Let him go, please."

"No, baby. Not that easily." The bar owner gave a signal to his henchmen that they immediately understood. Both started to kick Sam in the stomach. One after the other they landed making him cry out as he tried to curl into a ball, closing his eyes and trying to stay conscious for her.

Mercedes bit Tonny's hand hard and ran to where Sam lay.

"Leave him alone!" she knelt down next to him covering his head and stomach with her body, whilst she waited for the kicks to come. But they didn't come. The door of the bar opened, and they was a silence in which you could hear a pin drop.

"What's going on here, Tonny?" Mercedes turned her head to see a police officer, entering the bar. The bar owner came up in seconds with the best lie that had been told in centuries.

"These two here tried to rob us, Officer Maine. We've taken the law into our own hands and they've gotten their just desserts." The police officer looked at him strangely, then centring his gaze on the blond kid who was lying beaten on the floor and the black girl who was protecting him from Tonny Webber's thugs.

'Thieves? Ok, I understand.' he walked towards them, grabbing hold of her arm and separating from him. He then helped the boy to his feet under her intense scrutiny.

"Billy, come in here. I need your help with something," he spoke into the radio, the clients in the bar listening. Billy came straight into the bar making his way over to the centre of the problem.

"Cuff her. We're taking her in too" he told Billy. He didn't seem much older than twenty.

"What are you arresting them for, dad?" he asked curiously.

"They tried to rob the joint, Billy. Don't dawdle, cuff her. We're taking them out of here." Sam heard his last words and his chest flooded with relief.

_Thank you, God, thank you._

The officer took him towards the door stopping halfway as he saw Alice Webber, Tonny's wife gesturing for them to stop. The woman approached Sam with a sad look.

"I don't know what happened upstairs with Ray, son. I don't know. But I swear to you that what Tonny said is a lie. They didn't do anything to her, she wouldn't let them. I swear it. I swear on the most sacred thing I have, which is my daughter" she said pointing towards the mute girl he had previously asked for Mercedes' whereabouts. "She's the best thing I have, the only reason I have for carrying on. I swear that what I'm saying is true. They didn't sleep with her"

Sam gave her a grateful look as he was dragged to the door by the policeman. His son followed him a few meters behind, pushing Mercedes gently to hurry up. He didn't like this bar at all, he had never liked it. He knew perfectly well that whatever had happened there had nothing to do with the robbery of the bar. Both officers walked into the street placing the pair in the patrol car and changing the cuffs position so that their hands were now in front of them comfortably. They shut the door and started the engine and siren. Mercedes was propped up against the door, completely missing the look Sam was giving her as she shut her eyes and thanked God for getting them out of there. He did the same, wishing he could lean over and hold her hands without the cuffs stopping him. Mercedes was crying, he could hear her while he saw how she shivered form the cold. In the rush, Sam had forgotten his jacket in the truck and now he didn't have anything to protect her from the cold.

_Shit, the truck! You know what? It doesn't matter. I don't care. Let them do whatever they want with it. You're the only thing that matters to me, beautiful and now you're here with me._

Sam remembered what Mrs Webber had said. They hadn't raped her. Gazing at her leaning against the door he let out a relieved sigh. Not because he would never be able to look at her if this had been the case, because he could never have stopped looking at her, but because if they had she would have never been able to forget it. The boy seated in the passenger seat sent them a sad look which Sam ignored.

Everything would be ok now, yes they were arrested but at least they were safe.

Mercedes did not look at him throughout the whole journey to the police station and he didn't want to make her look at him either. He understood perfectly after what had happened she needed time to be able to speak to him.

The police got them out of the patrol car carefully and guided them into the building. They climbed the stairs to the cells and the people who were working there looked at them curiously looked. The officer opened the door to one of the cells and pushed Sam inside, taking off his handcuffs. Are Sam was about to fall on the floor Mercedes held onto him around the waist whilst he hugged her. He leaned his head down her neck whilst his arms caressed her back.

"Shouldn't we put them in cells on their own, Dad?"

"No, Billy. Leave them in this one," the other officer replied, watching them as they hugged one another tightly. Mercedes shut her eyes whilst her hands encircled his back and held him to her. Sam leaned his body on her, happy that she had finally accepted to be held.

_Thank you, God. I'll never be able to thank you enough for what you did for us tonight._

"Guys" The police officer said "I know that what Tonny Webber said isn't true. I've been trying for years to catch him red-handed but I haven't managed it yet. I don't have enough evidence to put him behind bars. The best thing that could've happened is that he let you go." They broke their embrace to listen to him. Mercedes supported Sam around the waist again, stopping him from falling while the officer shut the cell door.

"In any case" he continued "I can't let you go. Not right now, anyway. You'll have to stay the night and pay a fine in the morning. You've got the right to a phone call each". They nodded their heads and sat down on the bed.

"Billy…"

'Yes Dad?'

"Son, don't call me Dad when we're at work," he said reproachfully.

"Sorry," he said head down.

"Get them something to eat. And some towels and water so that they can clean themselves up." He left to go upstairs when his father called him again.

"Oh and bring them a first aid kit." He continued upstairs whilst his father turned to look at them.

"That's all I can offer you," he said.

"Thank you, officer" Mercedes replied with a slight smile. The police officer left them alone finally.

Billy came quickly with all the things his dad had asked for. He had hurried down the stairs almost falling.

"I've brought you some snacks and some coffee" he said opening the door and passing the tray and some bags with towels and first aid kit to Mercedes.

"Thank you so much" she said accepting them gratefully.

"No need to thank me" he said smiling. "Try to rest. Goodnight."

"Night" Mercedes said as he shut the cell door again. She left the things on the bed and opened one of the bottles of water, dampening one of the towels and cleaning the injuries on Sam's face.

"Own!" he complained scooting further back and leaning his head against the wall.

"I'm sorry" she said kneeling on the bed and getting closer to him to clean him up. He shrugged his shoulders, to show it didn't matter.

"No, I'm really sorry. I'm sorry you had to come for me. I'm sorry they hurt you. I'm sorry" she told him stroking his right cheek with the towel.

"Mercedes" Sam had stopped calling her Mercy.

"I'm sorry" she repeated, moving away to grab the first aid kit. Sam tried to stop her but hurt himself trying to get up. Mercedes pushed him back to sit down on the bed, pushing up his T-shirt to see the part of his body where the thugs had beaten him. Her hand flew to her mouth, swallowing a cry and she tried hard not to let her eyes betray her and start crying.

"I would've done it a thousand times over" he said looking in those eyes that were fighting not to spill their tears.

The tears streamed down her cheeks while she tried in vain to tear a strip of cotton wool from the pack. Her hands started trembling, making it impossible for her to treat his injuries. Sam grabbed her hand, kissing it softly, threading his fingers with hers his hand starting to shake too. She released it, drying her tears and trying to summon some courage. She tore a strip of cotton wool and soaked it with alcohol, bringing it to his mouth to clean the blood that had dried on it. Sam hissed in pain, but she grabbed his and trying to soothe him. He couldn't stop looking at her, couldn't tear his eyes from her as much as he tried to. It was like he felt she was still in danger.

When she finished tending to his injuries she offered him one of the sandwiches that Billy had brought, but he refused to eat.

"Don't you want it?" she asked him worriedly. He shook his head.

"You eat it, please" he whispered.

"I've already got one" she reminded him.

"Eat both"

"Sam" she protested.

"I'm not hungry. Eat both please"

This time she didn't argue and ate the two sandwiches while he watched her attentively and tried to calm himself. He had been frightened when he had seen her tremble again, he had almost died of fright. And for an awful moment he had felt like they were back in that disgusting bar, running down the stairs hand in hand and hers would not stop trembling.

But they weren't there. They were behind bars, in a cell the two of them alone. A whole night. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>When Sam woke the following morning Mercedes' head rested on his knees whilst his left hand held on to hers tightly. He rubbed his eyes with his right, whilst he awakened slowly. He looked at the clock seeing that it was six in the morning. His eyes lighted on her. He watched her for the longest time, noticing how his hand wanted to stroke her cheek and her black hair. She was beautiful to him. Like a butterfly, that flew freely, like a rose that grows in spring, like the girl that had managed to get him arrested for the first time. He who had never fallen in love, had gladly been arrested for a girl. Was that what it was to love? Her hand moved caressing his fingers, half-asleep. Her eyes opened slowly, finding his and giving a smile.<p>

She was lovely, so beautiful. She was finally safe.

Both of them stared at each other for a few minutes knowing that what they had would soon be broken and they would be back to being the same Sam and Mercedes who fought and shouted at each other without motive.

"When can we get out of here?" she asked him getting up and sitting next to him on the bed.

"When Anna gets up and I can call her to come pay the fine. The question is…will she come?"

"Why wouldn't she? She likes you, Sam," she said smiling.

_No, no she doesn't. She only wants to fuck me, which is something very different._

She looked at him doubtfully when he didn't answer.

"What did you do, Sam?"

"Maybe we didn't leave it in a good place yesterday" he confessed.

"You slept with her and left her alone, right?" Mercedes looked at him accusingly.

"No! No I didn't sleep with her!" he shouted slamming his hand down on top of the sheets, feeling the jolt of pain through his body. "No I didn't asleep with her…" He looked at her trying to find some bit of understanding in her eyes. Looking for the emotions he had seen in the last night. Relief, gratitude. The only thing he saw was dislike and mistrust.

"I didn't sleep with her…I didn't have time" He knew that what he had said would destroy what they had built between them, but Sam couldn't help himself. His words came tumbling out of his mouth without stopping, wanting to see what reaction they could provoke in her. What was making him behave like this? He knew he was being disgusting. However Mercedes accusing glare would not let him stop.

"She told me where she sent you and I remembered my promise. I couldn't stay there while you were fucking up your life."

"You got me out of there because of a stupid promise" It wasn't a question. Mercedes turned her face away, avoiding his eyes. She couldn't cry, not in front of him.

_It wasn't because of the promise, beautiful._

He stretched his hand out and touched her shoulder making her turn towards him. He nodded his head. Mercedes got up from the bed, furious. He had admitted that everything he had done was because of that stupid promise, he had admitted it looking her in the eyes.

"You would have fucked up your life Mercedes, and I would have ended up blaming myself for it, I know it." He replied.

"So you did it out of concern for yourself, right?" she reproached him, struggling not to cry. Sam let out a long breath, gathering strength to answer her.

"Now that I think about it, yes. It's the most obvious reason." Mercedes could hardly believe that she was talking to the same boy who had let himself be beaten and dragged along the floor just to save her. The night before she had thought she had met the real Sam Evans. The guy who missed his family and who would give anything to see his grandfather on thanksgiving. The guy who had enjoyed regaling her with the tales of the mischief his younger siblings had committed when they were small. The same Sam Evans that had cared for her and protected her. That Sam Evans had gone and the one that stood in front of her was laughing at her again. She was not going to let him laugh at her expense again. She would not allow it.

"Let me thank you Evans. I'm back to how I was before. Oh no but wait! Now I'm locked up with a guy I hate. Great!" She said lifting her arms high, pretending to be thankful to God.

"When we get out of here, I'll give you a job" he said rapidly.

_I'm not going to let you leave me. Not again._

"Excuse me?" she looked at him, stunned.

"I'll pay you, ok? You'll earn money" Sam said stroking his hurt stomach. Mercedes showed concern at the gesture for a second which quickly evaporated.

"I'm not going to sleep with you!" she shouted at him furiously.

"And I don't want you to! I just want you to keep me company on this journey. You're heading to Alabama, right? I'm going to Nashville. Come with me" He said unable to stop a hopeful smile spreading over his face.

"You're going to pay me to travel with you?" she asked almost speechless.

_Come on, just say yes. Please._

"You're doing it because you feel pity for me, right?" She sent him a sad look that he didn't know how to avoid.

"Pity? No!" His body collapsed as he tried to stand up and she ran to him to help him sit down again.

"Well then, it's to fulfil your promise" she said, noticing that he wouldn't let her hand loose. "Don't worry, Samuel. You don't have to do it, I free you of all responsibility"

"You, can't" he said still holding her hand, impeding her from moving away "I didn't make the promise to you"

"Well let's go back to the motel and get her to free you from your stupid promise" she said pulling her hand away with brute strength.

"Don't talk nonsense, Mercedes. You're coming with me and that's final" He got up, groaning at the pain whilst he came towards her again.

"No" She shook her head emphatically.

"Yes!" he cried one hand on his stomach, trying not to fall down. Mercedes couldn't help but worry for him, running towards him to hold him up as she had the night before.

"Stubborn idiot! Sit down now!" She took him to the bed, almost falling on top of him. Their mouths were mere millimetres apart. If they wanted to kiss each other, this was the opportunity God had presented them with. Their mutual pride would not allow them to, turning their heads away at the same time. Sam held her so that she didn't fall down and she sat on his knees.

"I'll come on one condition" She said getting up quickly. She missed how he had lifted his arms higher to try and stop her from getting up.

"What is it?" Sam asked lowering his arms quickly before she turned around completely.

"You won't sleep with any girl whilst I'm with you" Sam's eyes grew as wide as saucers scarcely believing his ears.

"Why not? Are you offering to take their place?" he laughed.

_Don't do this._

Mercedes shook her head making him release a breath of relief.

"Well then, no deal" he said in spite of everything.

"Well then I'm not going with you"

"You've decided to kill me, right?" he asked, amused. She let out a nervous giggle as though she were a cruel little imp.

"I think I can last a week and a half without sex. I accept" he said holding out his hand to seal the new deal between them. Mercedes accepted it earnestly, feeling thousands of tickles radiate onto her palm whilst they looked at each other intently.

"Hey" he said without letting go of her hand "'You'd better pray that Anna doesn't make me pay her back the money for the fines in kind otherwise we may have to live here" he pulled her down to sit next to him.

"It wouldn't be so bad Evans. At least here you'd have free food"

_And I'd still be with you, beautiful._

Sam couldn't help imaging how his journey would be with her at his side. He was happy because he had managed to get her to agree. Deep down he had been afraid she would refuse his proposition but finally luck had been on his side and this time Mercedes Jones would not leave him. She had requested that he not sleep with anyone while he was with her and he had agreed. The only thing that worried him now was whether he could do it. Could he last two weeks without sex? Without being able to touch her? Without looking for comfort in someone else's arms? It was a major test for him, but it was worth it to be able to keep her near.

* * *

><p>An hour and a half later, Sam walked down the stairs, escorted by Billy. Billy opened the cell, putting him in and taking the handcuffs off. Mercedes waited impatiently to hear the news he brought.<p>

"And?" she asked exasperated.

He looked at her sadly, frightening her, only to then give her the biggest smile in the world.

"She's agreed. She's coming" he said and she jumped for joy curling her arms around his neck.

"Thank God!" she shouted hugging him tightly and he wrapped his arms around her waist enjoying the moment. She moved out of his embrace quickly, realising what she had done. He hurried to sit down on the bed, apparently feeling bad again.

"Well, now all we can do is wait" he said whilst he leant his head on the cold wall and he closed his eyes remembering their last embrace.

* * *

><p>Billy, seated at his desk looked up to see the door opening and the girl he had loved for years stepping inside. Blonde, tall, thin and with the saddest look he had ever seen in his life. He watched as she approached one of his colleagues trying to listen to their conversation.<p>

"I've come to pay Sam Evans' fine" she told the attending officer.

"Only his?" She took a deep breath before replying

"No. I'll also pay the fine for the girl who is with him" and she felt someone tapping her right shoulder. She turned expectantly but her smile faded as she realised that the person in front of her was not that one she had expected.

"Anna?" he said smiling. She looked at him for a long time, trying to place his face but couldn't.

"Sorry, I don't know who you are"

"I'm Billy Maine. You don't remember me? We sat together in the last year of high school" she shook her head while Billy hid a grimace of pain.

"Miss, you need to sign here and here and pay the fines at the counter" the other officer said. Anna turned grabbing the papers and pen.

"Can I see them first?" once she had signed the papers.

"Of course. Billy, can you take her downstairs?" He nodded and led the way with her following behind him. When they arrived downstairs Sam was still leaning his head on the wall trying to sleep while Mercedes was pacing up and down to pass the time more quickly. Anna greeted her with a nod of the head and Mercedes called to Sam to wake up.

"You came" he said getting up and walking over to the cell door. His hands covered Anna's stroking them over the cold bars of the cell.

"I told you I would" she whispered "I'm so sorry. I was stupid. But everything will be ok" She smiled "I've signed and I'll pay the fines, and you'll be free. You'll be able to go back to the highway."

"We can't, Anna" he said sadly. "I've lost the truck"

"No, you can't have Sam, that truck is your life." Sam shrugged his shoulders. It no longer mattered.

"Consider it lost, Anna. It's parked in front of the Rouge Bar and we can't go back for it. They'd get hold of us again" Sam moved closer to her to say in a low voice "They would get hold of her again and I…wouldn't be able to bear it"

She bit back a cry. Sam was abandoning his truck for Mercedes. It was love. Sam had finally fallen in love and it had not been with her. She couldn't help crying. Tears of pain, of hopelessness.

"There has to be a solution. You need the truck, you can't leave it there" she said.

"I'll bring it" they heard Billy Maine say.

"What?" the three of them said at once.

"I'll fetch it. Come on, give me the keys. I'll bring your truck back safe and sound I swear" he said moving his hand as if to catch the keys.

"Wait, can you drive a truck?" Sam asked doubtfully.

"Of course. It can't be that hard" Billy said smiling from ear to ear. Dear God, the boy had no idea how to drive a truck but frankly Sam couldn't care less how it got there as long as he got it back. He dug in his pocket looking for his keys and threw them to him.

"Thanks, dude" Sam said. Billy turned and headed up the stairs.

"I'm going with him" Anna said trying to let go of his hands.

"No it's too dangerous. Stay here with us"

"No" she replied shaking her head "Someone's got to look out for him, he won't get far without me" she said, amused. Sam smiled at her and let her go watching as she ran up the stairs.

* * *

><p>"Billy, wait! I'm coming with you" Anna cried trying to reach him.<p>

"No way!" he said turning around and colliding with her. "You stay here" he moved her away from him nervously.

"Someone needs to take you there Billy" she reminded him. Of course! If he was going to get the truck he had to get there first. He hadn't thought about that.

"I'll ask Peter. You pay the fines and wait for them to be freed" he said turning back around. She took no notice and followed him.

"Why are you doing this Anna?" he asked stopping her again. "You're putting yourself in danger"

"I know" she sighed "But I have to do it" Billy looked at her, seeing the girl he had been in love with for years still there inside her.

"Why are you doing this Billy?" she asked him breaking the spell.

"Didn't you see it? They love each other, Anna. They need each other. They could use a bit of help right now." She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes hearing his words. Billy had also realised they loved each other. She dried the tears that spilt down her face and pushed him towards the exit.

"Well let's not waste any more time" she said. Anna walked out onto the street towards the parking lot with Billy following behind watching everywhere.

"I'll take you in my car" she said reaching for her keys.

"No. Here you'll drive the patrol car" he said passing her the keys.

"Are you crazy? I can't drive a patrol car. It's an offence!" she said stopping as he pressed the keys into her hand.

"Do you want to help them or not?"

"Ok, Ok" she replied, astounded by his bravery.

"Well then get in and drive" He said opening the door of the car for her and helping her get in.

"Fine, fine" she said waiting for him to climb into the passenger seat. She turned the keys in the ignition with trembling hands. What they were about to do was pure madness…absolute insanity! But Sam deserved to get his truck back. He deserved it at all costs.

"You know? I used to like you Anna" He took her by surprise, making her lose her concentration for a couple of seconds. Billy held the steering wheel whilst she calmed herself down.

"Every day I got up and went to class just to see you,' he confessed "To see you smile and hear your voice" Anna looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and noticed how his cheeks had grown red.

"I was waiting for the day you'd come to me and say "Billy I like you. I want to go out with you" but time went on and you never did"

"I'm sorry" said Anna bursting into tears again, trying to dry them quickly to stop them from blurring her sight of the highway.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Anna. It's forgotten" he said trying to soothe her. Billy looked at her realising that the love he felt for her would never die no matter how much he tried. She was still in his heart, in spite of everything.

"You're in love with him, right?" He asked already knowing her answer. She nodded whilst she dried another one of her tears. She looked at him forcing herself to laugh.

"I was an idiot. I always knew what I felt for him but I chose to lie to myself. I lied to him too. I never told him" Anna took a deep breath before continuing.

"I never told him I loved him because I knew he would never fall in love with me. And I didn't want to lose him. I made do with isolated moments, days, and nights, everything he could give me. He could never give me more than his friendship and affection, Billy and I wanted his love." Her voice faded for a few seconds, and she gathered her strength to continue confessing her feelings. He placed his hand over hers on the steering wheel, giving her support to continue.

"I wanted him to love me although I knew it would never happen. And I was jealous. I was jealous of her for the way he looked at her and the way he smiled at her. I hated her. I hated her without reason because it wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault Sam fell in love with her and not me.' Billy squeezed her hands tightly, to show her she was important to him at least.

"I sent her to the Rouge Bar and I have to help them get out of here." She placed her hand over his in gratitude and he finally let go. He understood that he would never be able to get her out of his heart.

They didn't say anything else throughout the journey. Anna dropped him off outside the Rouge Bar and in a matter of seconds, Billy climbed into the truck, which was in perfect condition contrary to their expectations, and pulled out without wasting any time.

When they returned to the police station, Anna paid the fines and they let them go. She wouldn't let Sam give her the money back for the fines and he said he would never forget what she had done for them. They finally saw the light of day and they smiled at each other glad to be finally free whilst Anna watched them sadly. The four of them headed to the parking lot where Billy had parked the truck. The moment to say goodbye had arrived.

"Thanks, man" Sam said, giving him a high five and hugging him and patting his back. "We owe you big time"

"It wasn't me. It was Anna. She helped me" he replied. Anna lowered her head as Sam approached. Mercedes was hugging Billy goodbye.

"Thank you for everything," Sam told her, lifting her chin up and hugging her tightly. Anna wrapped her arms around his waist whilst her head leaned on his neck. She didn't want to let go. She knew this would be the last time she saw him. She started crying again, her tears wetting his T-shirt.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I'm so sorry" she said as they pulled apart. He nodded his head and whispered in her ear.

"We're going Anna. I won't be coming back for a long time." She knew what he was saying. They both knew he was never going to see her again. Sam grabbed her face fondly and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead while she closed her eyes trying to stop crying. He let her go and climbed into the truck where Mercedes was. Billy held her around the waist, pressing her into his chest, as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"He'll come back, Anna, don't worry" he said drying one of her tears.

"He won't" She replied hugging him tightly, watching as Sam left her life for good.

* * *

><p><em><em>So, what do you think? Tell us in a review ;)<em>_

___The title and the song are translated too. The original song is "Mil calles llevan hacia ti" by La Guardia.___

___Thank you all for reading it! ___


	3. I will follow you

_****__Hi! Here it is the third chapter of the story ^^ Hope you like it! Thanks to Anni again who translated it and thank you all for your amazing reviews and your alerts and favourites. I never thought to have so many reviews from the story. I'm still in shock with your beautiful comments :D_

_As always, Sam's thoughts are written in italic._

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just the truck. xD<strong>**

* * *

><p><em><strong>I will follow you<strong>_

_I'll follow you, I'll follow you_

_without knowing the reason_

_I'll follow you, I'll follow you_

_Playing cat and mouse_

As soon as they left the city, Mercedes watched as Sam broke down. He had been holding on too long, way too long for someone who never allowed his true feelings to be shown. In the bottom of her heart she knew this moment would come. Sam maybe wasn't in love with Anna but he cared about her and she was in love with him. She had seen it in the way she had said goodbye. They wouldn't see each other again. Sam wouldn't go back for her. Everything had ended for Anna. She watched him without saying anything seeing how small tears bravely soiled down his cheeks although he battled to keep them in.

"You loved her, right?" she asked, regretting it as soon as she had said it. He looked at her, looking for a glimmer of understanding in her gaze.

"I cared about her but I didn't love her. At least not like she wanted me to" he wiped his tears with his right hand and tried to concentrate on the highway.

"I promised. I promised that I'd never break a girl's heart. I've broken my promise" Mercedes looked at him, stunned. What kind of person would make such promises? Someone who cared about others' feelings more than his own.

"Sam…" She tried to reply but he wouldn't let her, continuing with his self-reproach.

"Deep down I knew. I knew she was in love with me but I fooled myself. I spent so long coming and going but I always found time to stay with her. And I didn't care, I didn't care how she felt when I left because she knew she would never be able to get anything more out of me. She knew and it didn't matter to her. She lost her virginity with me Mercedes. I knew I was her first although she would have never told me" Mercedes hid her face, fixing her gaze on the countryside she could see from her window. Sam was right; he had broken Anna's heart. She would never forget him no matter how much she tried, but she would go on. She could do it. He took a deep breath trying to forget it all.

"It wasn't your fault Sam. She knew what she could expect from you and she accepted it. Although she wanted more, she never told you. Don't blame yourself" He looked at her sadly trying to understand why she wasn't angry with him for hurting Anna. Trying to understand why after all he had told her, she went on defending him.

"Something tells me she will find someone to love her like she deserves" Mercedes said with a smile.

"I hope he can make her happy" He replied.

"Billy loves her, I'm sure of it. Did you see how he looked at her?"

_Exactly how I look at you._

"Yes" He answered sadly.

"In that case get rid of that long face, Evans!" She cried touching his arm. Sam cried out as he felt the shock and Mercedes looked at him worried.

"Damn, but you're stupid" he said reproachfully as he rubbed his arm with his left hand.

"I'm really sorry" She pouted. He smiled at her captivated.

_You're gorgeous._

She curled up in her seat and covered her shoulders with his corduroy jacket again

"Oh honey! I've missed you so much! Come to Mommy!" She said to it. Sam laughed noticing how she looked at him.

"You've missed my jacket…well that is something!"

"Don't get jealous, Samuel. I missed you too" She said, amused.

"Oh really? Wow, that's the first I've heard of it"

"Of course, I missed laughing at you"

"You had to go there"

"Of course I did, if I didn't I wouldn't be Mercedes Jones." Sam shook his head. He still couldn't believe that he was going to be sharing his journey to Tennessee with her. He couldn't have gotten that lucky. What was it about Mercedes Jones that made him grin like an idiot? He now thanked God that those guys had decided to steal her bag. If they hadn't he would never have met her.

The rebellious girl who sat beside him had made him lose all reason so that he had ended up paying her to go with him. Paying her. Paying her to travel with him. When it should've been the other way around being as he was taking her. Paying her to be at his side. Paying her so he could hear her laughter and her jokes. To see her face every morning. Paying her so that he could look after her and protect her. Sam had never paid for something that he had wanted so much.

He couldn't touch her or kiss her even though he was dying to do so. It didn't matter though, nothing mattered as long as she stayed by his side. Mercedes had fallen asleep again, curled up in her seat his jacket on top of her trying to form a ball with her body .He loved to watch her sleep. The expression on her face provoked peace and tenderness in him just like the night before when she had fallen asleep in his lap and he had woken up wanting to caress her and play with her black hair.

She loved his jacket. It wasn't her size but at least it protected her from the cold. Sam raised a hand to his head whilst he held the steering wheel steady with his other one. How could he have forgotten? Ray had torn her bra. He had helped her to dress in that filthy room at the bar. He had put her T shirt on her and zipped her jeans up whilst she had watched him sadly. Her bra was torn but she hadn't reminded him. She hadn't asked him to get another. He was paying her to travel with him! Why didn't she ask him for money to buy clothes that would keep her warm instead of using his jacket?

If she didn't asked him, he would make he buy some. If had forced her to eat he could also make her accept the clothes. Eat…The last time Sam had eaten was the day before. That fantastic hamburger at the Rolly Burger. How could he have forgotten? It wasn't like him, it definitely wasn't like him to go so long without food. She hadn't eaten since the night before when he had given her his sandwich, trying to make her eat for the thousandth time.

Was she hungry? How stupid! Of course she'd be hungry. He'd stop at the first decent bar he could find and wake her up so that they could eat.

_You've got me going crazy. I'll have to make a list of all the things you need so that your smile doesn't completely erase them from my mind._

She shifted slightly in her seat, as though she had noticed that he was watching her. The jacket slipped off again, pulling her shirt with it so that the shoulder that was missing a strap was exposed, causing Sam to lose his concentration for a second and then have to swerve to avoid the massive pothole in the middle of the road.

"What happened?" She said adjusting her T-shirt and looking worriedly at him.

"Nothing, nothing. Go back to sleep" Sam said as she took in his red cheeks.

"I can't. You've woken me and I'm suddenly wide awake" she said stretching in her seat.

"I'm sorry" He apologised, hoping that she hadn't noticed the colour of his cheeks.

"Don't be. I know you did it on purpose" She laughed.

"You've got me. You were snoring too much and I couldn't concentrate."

"You could've woken me up without risking our lives, dude. You only had to touch me"

"Touch you? No way, you'd probably infect me with something"

"How distrustful, Evans"

"Back to surnames are we?"

"You don't like me calling you by your surname? You'd prefer it if I called you Samuel?" She looked at him awaiting a genuine reply.

"I'd like you to call me Sam" He said, regretting it almost instantly.

_I like to hear you say it._

"Sam…" She said as though she was trying out the way it sounded on her lips.

_Oh God. _

"You want me to call you Sam" she asked again. He nodded his head, expectantly.

"On one condition" She said.

"What?"

_Ask me whatever you want, beautiful and I'll do it._

"Don't call me Mercy"

_No, not that._

"Why not?" he asked trying not to let her see his disappointment.

"Because no. I don't want you to call me that. Please don't do it"

_It doesn't matter; to me you'll always be Mercy._

"Ok so I'll call you Mercedes?" She nodded her head.

"Sam and Mercedes" He said aloud.

"Yes" She replied "Sam and Mercedes"

_Sam and Mercedes._

He breathed in deeply fixing his gaze back on the highway. He was waiting for her to go back to sleep but she didn't. Instead she changed the radio station and raised the volume.

"Don't put it up so loud or we will have an accident" He reproached her.

"Spoilsport" She grumbled turning the volume back down again. "Doesn't the monotony bore you? I've spent three days in this truck and I'm already tired of it." Sam shook his head.

"I could never get tired of this truck…"

"Yes, yes…blah, blah, blah. It's your life blah, blah, blah" She laughed at him.

He didn't respond, hurt by her comments.

"Hey! What's wrong? It was a joke"

"I didn't find it funny"

"I'm sorry" She said sadly. "I don't know what's wrong with me"

"I left my family behind to do this. I miss them a lot. I don't like being made fun of because of my job." He said holding the steering wheel tightly.

_It hurts that you're the one doing it._

"I'm sorry, Sam. I really am." She put her hand over the hand that was holding the wheel. "Can we just forget I ever said it?" Mercedes sent him a hopeful smile.

_You could make me forget everything with your beautiful smile._

He nodded his head.

"Ok, so what's the plan for the day?" she asked laughingly. He stared open-mouthed at the rapid change in her mood.

'Plan for the day?' Sam looked at her strangely.

"Yes!" she said stretching again "What do you do every day? You wake up, eat breakfast, drive, eat again, drive again, stop for coffee, drive again, eat dinner, go to sleep, get up the next day to do the same all over again. That's called a plan for the day." Sam laughed unable to help it. She had said the statement at such an incredible speed, almost without thinking.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"That was a tongue twister" He said, amused.

"Well is that what you do or not?" asked Mercedes sure she knew what she was talking about.

"In brief, yes. But don't you worry, our journey is not going to be so boring" He reassured her. "Trust in me, girl. I know what I'm talking about." Mercedes couldn't help the nervous laugh that escaped. She bit her lip shaking her head trying to imagine what he meant.

"Where are we going, Mr I know what I'm talking about?" she asked trying to find out the itinerary of the journey. She had spent fifteen minutes with her attention on the highway and had not seen a single sign to tell her where they were.

"Louisville. We're going to eat there and spend the afternoon"

"Doing what?" she asked raising an eyebrow in mistrust.

"We're going shopping"

"What?" she raised her index finger ready to argue but he pushed it back down before she could start.'

"No arguments, Mercedes. I'll remind you they've stolen your suitcase"

"I've got clothes" She protested.

"It doesn't count"

"What's wrong with them?" she asked, annoyed.

"They're torn" he said regretting it instantly.

_Did you have to remind her of it?_

She put one of her hands to the breast which had no support, trying to cover it even though nothing could be seen thanks to the T-shirt.

"Mercedes" He murmured her name with affection, making her raise her head which she had hidden and look at him.

"Let me buy you some new clothes. You can't wear that horrible jacket everywhere."

"It's not horrible" she replied.

"Yes it is"

"Well if you didn't like it what did you buy it for?"

"I didn't buy it. My sister Stacey gave it to me for my birthday. I put it on because I've got a lot of affection for it, but that doesn't make it any less horrible."

"I think it's pretty"

"Pretty" Sam replied while looking at her.

_You sure are._

"Yes, pretty. Give it to me?" She said smiling from ear to ear. "Oh No! How stupid! It's a present from your sister" she said ashamed.

"It's yours"

Sam had hardly thought about it. In that same moment that she had asked he knew what his answer was. And the speed that he did, frightened him.

_I'm lost._

"No Sam it's a gift from your sister." She said refusing it.

"And now I'm giving it to you."

"But it's not my size, you've told me many times" she reminded him.

"I know, but it protects you from the cold right?" She nodded her head holding on tightly to the jacket.

"Well then there's nothing more to say." He said with a smile.

"Thank you" Mercedes whispered almost inaudibly. He smiled at her aware of how his stomach grumbled through lack of food.

"How long til we get there?" she askd.

"I don't know…maybe forty-five minutes"

"That's a long time, if you see a bar before then stop."

"Why? Do you need to go to the toilet?" he asked worried. "Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine, but you're the one who hasn't eaten since midday yesterday." Sam breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment he thought she felt ill due to having been cooped up for such a long time in the truck without getting out and stretching her legs. He had even thought she might have been feeling dizzy. But she was just worried because he hadn't eaten at all that day.

_She's worried about me._

"You haven't eaten since last night" He reminded her.

"When you gave me your sandwich" She smiled at him. "Why did you do that?"

_Because I was still worried about you and the knot in my throat wouldn't let me eat it. I was frightened; I thought I was losing you._

"I hate cheese" he said quickly. She looked at him mouth hanging open; she had not expected that reply.

"The burgers had cheese Sam"

_Shit! Think of something fast!_

"Mine didn't. Anna knows I hate cheese" Mercedes looked at him doubtfully.

"The truth is I wasn't paying attention" she replied absolutely sure that he was lying.

"When I see a decent bar to eat at, we'll stop don't worry."

"Don't you have anything to snack on?" she asked him turning in her seat and opening the hatch which led to the small area which held his bed and his fridge. Sam tried not to look at her ass but it was impossible as she tried to cross over to the area behind, pushing him with her body and making him lose sight of the highway.

"For God's sake, Mercedes! Keep still! Do you want to kill us?" he cried watching in the rear view mirror to see what she was doing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she said sitting down on the bed and opening the fridge. He saw where she was and realised that a woman had finally sat down on that bed after the longest time. None had ever actually managed it. Sam had never let any woman into his truck. Many had wanted to, but he had always changed their minds, asking them to let him into their houses instead. She was the first woman he had let in and she was now seated on his bed. He wanted to be sat on it with her. No, not sitting. He wanted to lie down next to her and caress her cheek, kiss her and play with her hair. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and protect her from the cold she always seemed to feel.

_You're the first and the only._

"It's all out of date!" she shouted with her head in the fridge.

"What?" he asked turning to hear her.

"There's nothing to eat" she said taking everything that had been in the fridge out and placing it on the bed. "You're a walking disaster, do you know that?"

He laughed amused as she pulled out all the things in the fridge.

"You're clearing it out! Thief! Thief!" he cried laughing boisterously

"It's all out of date, Sam. There's nothing for it but to throw it" she picked a bag containing yoghurts and put started putting everything else in it. "All it needed was for me to come and organise it." Sam watched her in the rear view mirror working like beaver, picking up all the food and putting it in the bag.

"There!" she said putting the bag down and throwing herself on the bed. "It's not bad, I thought it would be more uncomfortable. Next time you tell me to sleep here I will"

"I'm not going to send you to sleep here"

_If you sleep there I won't be able to get your scent off the sheets._

"I don't care what you say. You're hurt and you will not sleep here but in a motel bed where you can rest properly" she said annoyed.

"I'm not going to let you sleep alone in the truck." Sam said seriously. She looked at him, mouth hanging open. What on earth had happened from one day to the next to make him not want to let her sleep alone?

"The promise, remember?" he rushed to add.

"So let me see if I've got this straight. You don't want me to sleep alone?"

"Yep" he replied.

"You also don't want me to sleep in your bed"

"Exactly"

"Well then, I'm afraid you're going to end up spending a lot of money on motels" she said, amused.

"Probably" Sam assured her.

_On motels, on clothes, on food…You're going to be expensive, Mercedes Jones._

She returned to the front of the cab, pushing him again and losing a shoe in the process, which she had to go back for.

"For the love of God! Can you please stay still!" he cried irritated.

"Ok, ok" she said putting her shoe on.

"Do not get up again" he warned her.

"Fine" she said throwing her hands up in the air.

It didn't take long to find a decent bar where they enjoyed some really good fries with veal steaks. But that wasn't enough for Sam who also ordered noodle soup as a starter and pie for dessert. When they left the bar, headed for the truck he could barely move. He had eaten far too much and his body had not reacted well having been deprived of food for so long.

"I can't walk any further, I think I'm going to be sick" he told her leaning on the side of the truck.

"Great! I told you not to eat so much! Why don't you ever listen to me?" She watched as Sam leaned over and did exactly what he'd told her he was going to do.

"Oh God!" Mercedes held his head while he tried to stop his body's retching but it refused to cooperate.

"Are you ok? Oh my God, Sam! You're white!" she exclaimed worriedly about to perforate his eardrums.

"That's nothing new" he said in a weak voice trying to be funny .

"I'm serious! You're pale. We should've gone to a hospital before leaving Cincinnati. They gave you a good beating Sam. Something could be broken" she held his face between her hands. "I'm going for help, I need a doctor to see you" Mercedes turned towards the bar, intent on asking someone to get them to the city but he stopped her grabbing hold of her hand.

"No"

"Sam, don't be ridiculous .Let me go" she tried to get loose without success.

"Mercedes, it's just indigestion"

"Are you a doctor?" she said pursing her lips, annoyed.

"If something was broken, I would've noticed it before now." Sam pulled on her hand as she tried to go towards the passenger side.

"You can barely walk! You cannot seriously think about driven like this?" He opened her door and shoved her inside. "Samuel Evans, don't you close the-" she had no time to finish the sentence because he had done exactly what she had not wanted him to do. He shut the door in her face. He slowly walked around the front of the cab and climbed carefully into his seat whilst he took his keys out of his pocket. When he tried to put them in the ignition however, Mercedes' hand appeared out of nowhere snatching them away.

"Mercedes! Give me the keys!" he exclaimed moving to try a get them swallowing down a cry.

"No! Stubborn fool! I will not let you drive in this state. Do you want to kill yourself and as a consequence kill me as well?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" He tried to snatch them away but she hides them around her back, inside her trousers.

"You don't want to go to hospital? Fine! You don't want a doctor to see you? Fine! But don't expect me to let you drive in this state. Go to the back of the cab" she said pointing her finger to the rear.

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, lie down. We are not leaving until the indigestion you say you have wears off."

"I'm not going to lie down now" he flatly refused.

Mercedes looked at him fed up to the point of shouting at him again. She didn't have to tell him twice, he got up from his seat and moved to the rear without complaint.

"You know we're losing precious time, right? It'll soon be dark and I won't be able to drive" he complained.

"I don't care; you'll do as I tell you. It's about time someone looked after you and not because of a stupid promise" she said moving to the rear as well.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked frightened.

"Tucking you in" she replied.

"Tucking me in.? I'm not a baby for God's sake!" he replied, stunned.

"No? So why are you complaining so much? Lie down, I won't tell you again" she said pushing him gently.

"Oh God, what did I do to deserve this?"

"Shut up and sleep." She said covering him with the sheets.

"This isn't another one of your tricks is it? You promise if I go to sleep when I open my eyes again you won't have gone?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Sam" she soothed him, giving him her beautiful smile.

"Great" he said closing his eyes.

When he opened them again he was still lying on his bed but he was no longer alone. Mercedes lay next to him on top of the covers whilst holding his left hand. She had laid down on his bed even though he had told her not to but he couldn't be angry with her for it, not when it was what he had wanted all along. His hand stroked her fingers as he watched her sleep. His cell phone rang and he pulled it out his pocket whilst he let her hand go carefully so that she did not wake. He got up gingerly from the bed stretching quickly and hitting the answer button.

"Evans"

"Where the fuck are you?" a voice shouted down the line.

"Henry?"

"Of course it's me! Henry, your boss remember? Where the fuck are you, Sam?"

"Lower your voice Henry you're going to rupture my eardrums" he whispered trying not to make any noise that would wake her.

"You're fired, Sam" his boss said seriously.

"What? Why?"

"What has happened to the load from Portsmouth? It should've been at its destination yesterday."

_Oh God, this can't be happening. Shit! How the fuck did I forget about it?_

"Maybe it's just as well that you've fired me, Henry. I've always wanted to work for your brother and he's always offering me a job"

"You can't work for my brother" the man said, furious.

"Why not? You've fired me, right?" Sam wore a victory smile on his face.

"Well I rehire you! You're my best worker, Sam"

"I already know that" he said cockily.

"But you failed on this one." Henry was silent for a few seconds which to Sam seemed to drag on for an eternity. "You've never done such a thing before"

"I've had complications, Henry. But I swear to you that tomorrow at first light the cargo will arrive at its destination." He said watching as Mercedes turned over in the bed shivering from cold.

"Are you going to drive through the night?"

"If I have to, yes. What time is it?"

"For God's sake Sam, You don't even know what time it is! It's eleven at night. Where the fuck are you?"

"Near Louisville."

"What the hell are you doing at Louisville? Turn around right now! I need that cargo in Portsmouth first thing tomorrow."

"Don't worry, it'll be there" he breathed deeply "Henry…"

"What now?"

"Once I've delivered the cargo, I'm going to be free for a couple of weeks; you owe me some vacation time"

"I thought you'd given vacations up, boy"

"I need them now, Henry"

"You get that cargo there in one piece and consider it done" His boss said before hanging up. Sam hung up and put the phone back in his pocket and turned slowly so as not to wake her.

His body ached to be close to hers, wanting to hold her, but he wouldn't let it. He grabbed the sheets which had covered him and covered her with them thus stopping Mercedes from shivering from the cold after a few seconds. His hand wanted to caress her features at the same time a play with her curly hair. But he didn't do it; he held his hand five millimetres from her cheeks, and let it fall gently, tracing her face without touching her. He closed his hand in a fist which he brought to his heart.

_Sleep._

He got up carefully and climbed down from the truck, locking it behind him. He had precious little time to lose but he needed to go to the bathroom and have a coffee before getting back on the highway. His stomach was still not a hundred per cent but at least he could walk now. He'd spend a long time behind the wheel and he needed to keep all his concentration on the road so he prayed to God that she would not wake up until they arrived in Louisville. If she did, he ran the risk of forgetting what his responsibilities were. He needed to get to Portsmouth. Finally fifteen minutes later Sam climbed into the truck and switched the ignition on without delay. He turned around just before Louisville and headed towards Georgetown where he would take the short cut to Portsmouth arriving in five hours.

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><p>Mercedes couldn't help but wake up as she heard the constant loud noise coming from the rear of the truck. Was someone trying to steal it? She got up from where she was lying and noticed that Sam was no longer there. Where was he? She hurriedly climbed into the front of the cab and looked at the time on the dashboard of the truck. Six o Clock in the morning! How could she have slept for so long? She looked at herself in the mirror and saw the state she was in and tried to fix her hair but it was impossible. Her hair shrieked that it needed a good wash and she did too. She would make do with being able to wash her face to freshen up and go on. Her eyes focused on the rear view mirror where she could see Sam, outside the truck, talking to some men in what looked like a warehouse. She climbed down from the truck quickly and made her way towards them.<p>

"Good morning" he said with a smile.

"Where are we" she asked worriedly.

"In Portsmouth"

"Portsmouth?" Mercedes' eyes were wide. "But weren't we on our way to Louisville?" she said surprised.

"We've had to take a small diversion." He said, amused.

"Small, huh?" Mercedes started laughing while the men unloaded the cargo from the truck and carried it into the store.

"What is it?" she asked curious.

"Terraces for a skating rink" he told her

"Wow!"

She kept on watching the unloading as the men were loading and unloading the pallets with the cargo on.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked Sam, who turned his attention from overseeing the unloading to her for a moment.

"So that you wouldn't disturb me during the journey" he said shrugging.

"But I slept in your bed" One of the men who was bringing back an empty pallet looked at them strangely. Sam signalled to him not to waste time and refocused his gaze on her.

"It was that or put up with you for the entire journey. I had to choose" he said lifting his arms and raising his palm in the air.

"So you'll let me sleep in the bed then?"

"No" he said serious. Mercedes smiled her beautiful smile at him.

"It's _my_ bed" he stressed.

"Your possessiveness frightens me. You've already given me your jacket. What makes you think I won't get the bed as well?"

_I'd give you the moon and the stars if you asked me for them._

"All done!" he heard one of the men say. Sam turned around handing him over the papers he needed to sign while she watched them curiously.

"That's it, isn't it?" the man asked. Sam nodded his head, folding the paper and putting the pen in his pocket.

"I need to go to the bathroom" Mercedes said when he returned to her side. "I look awful"

_You look beautiful._

"Ok we'll go in a sec. Let me put this back in the truck and move it into the parking lot in front of the mall.

"Ok" she replied. She followed him to the truck and he opened the door to help her up then climbed in himself. He put the papers in the glove compartment making Mercedes move her legs away so he didn't touch them accidently.

"Let's go" he said switching on the ignition.

"I can't wait" she said smiling.

"Of course, you need to go to the bathroom and sort out that mess." Contrary to what he had expected she didn't get annoyed at his comment but sent him a smile before replying.

"Exactly, boy. Come on let's go" Sam did what she had said and parked up in the car park a few minutes later. They climbed down and entered the mall, heading straight to the rest rooms.

Mercedes ran into the restroom without looking behind to see if Sam had gone into the men's' restroom or if he was waiting outside. The only thing that mattered to her was going to the toilet and freshening up her face a little whilst trying to straighten up her outward appearance a little. She couldn't believe her luck at having met him on the highway that day. The week had gone by so quickly…They had met on Monday and now it was Thursday! Thursday next was Thanksgiving and he would arrive in Tennessee for his family dinner and she would be continuing on her way towards Alabama alone.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror for a few seconds thinking whether she really wanted to go to Alabama. She knew she's miss him, she couldn't help it. He had crept into her head bit by bit until she was now worrying about him twenty-four hours a day. And how could she not worry? The poor boy was a walking disaster. She had been frightened the day before to see him so ill but in spite of her insisting on taking him to a hospital he had flatly refused to go so she had made him lie down and rest. In addition to be a disaster, Sam Evans was stubborn to the limits of all endurance. Yes, she would miss him when she was no longer with him .She would miss him a lot, she would no longer have anyone to make fun of shout at. Mercedes Jones would no longer have anybody. She'd be back on her own again.

She wouldn't cry. She would not allow herself to cry again like she had done on Tuesday when she had left the Rolly Burger without saying goodbye on her way to the rouge Bar. That day she hadn't cried because she was leaving him behind, she had been crying because she had taken the most difficult decision in her life. She didn't have anyone she could go to, anyone who could help her. She didn't have any belongings or money just her mother's ring. She had almost been about to sell it but in the end she couldn't bring herself to. She had preferred to sell herself instead before doing that. At the last minute an angel had arrived to save her from the cruel fate that she herself had chosen. A stubborn and disastrous angel. She looked at herself in the mirror seeing the stupid smile that had formed on her lips. It was because of Sam. It was a smile of gratitude. What would she do when he disappeared forever from her life? Mercedes shook her head. Now was not the time to worry about that and she still had a week left to share with him. She would make it worthwhile. She save the money he paid her and before she left his life for good she would give him something that would make sure Sam never forgot her.

Five minutes later Mercedes left the bathroom asking herself whether he'd still be in the men's' room or waiting for her outside. Sam was waiting outside leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest and his wet hair leaving droplets on the red and blue checked shirt he wore. Mercedes looked at him with envy seeing how quickly he had recovered from his hours of sleep and the good look he was sporting which was completely the opposite to her , who in spite of having freshened up still looked like she had half an hour ago.

"Come on" he said walking in front of her. She walked behind him, a few steps back. As though they were strangers who had never seen each other before in their lives. The situation changed rapidly though. Sam saw Mercedes hurrying in front of him running towards another area within the mall and he began to run after her as though he were afraid he'd never see her again.

"Wait!" he stopped her grabbing hold of her arm tightly. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Look!" she pointed towards a small, mobile puppet show. "Puppets! Come on!" Having said this she grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him towards where a crowd stood watching the performance.

"Mercedes" he complained watching her edge past everyone towards the front.

"Follow me, come on" she begged him with a smile capable of killing him with love.

_I'd follow you until the ends of the earth, beautiful._

"Come on Sam!" she exclaimed bringing him out of his chance and pulling on his hand.

"I'm coming, I'm coming" he protested while she made her way through the crowd. Just like he'd been afraid of she stopped in front of everyone to get a better view of the puppets, Sam at her side without letting go of his hand. He watched her with a smile on his face as she watched the production of the movie Titanic, moved. He fought not to move his hand or do anything that would make her realise she was still holding his hand. He didn't want to let her hand go and he didn't want her to let his go either. The curtain opened again and Jack and Rose appeared making Mercedes look at him and smile while she stroked his hand with her fingers and he drew in a deep breath into his lungs while he watched her. He was the only spectator not watching the show! Realising this he blushed like a tomato wishing it was not so obvious. And his hands started to sweat.

"Look, Rose, what a pretty girl has come to see us today" Mercedes smiled at the puppet, amused.

"What's wrong Jack? You want to paint her as well?" said puppet Rose, annoyed.

"Don't get jealous, honey. She's already got someone to paint her" Mercedes looked at Sam, the shame returning to him again.

"Of course, and he's a very handsome guy, Jack. I'm jealous."

"Beyoncé isn't far behind, Rose" Jack replied, amused.

Everything happened very quickly. Mercedes let go of Sam's hand in a matter of seconds and left without losing any time. She ran without stopping to look behind whilst she heard puppet Rose telling him off for scaring her. Sam reacted slowly but once the initial shock wore off he ran as fast as his legs could carry him after her.

She ran towards the bathrooms so he sped up and stopped her going inside.

"Mercedes wait!" he shouted grabbing her arm.

"No" she said about to burst into tears.

Sam pulled her quickly towards him before she managed to free herself and enter the bathroom. He hugged her tightly, wrapping his strong arms around her whilst she cried into his chest. He sighed at last being able to hold her without it meaning anything and held her even more tightly as she tried to free herself without success.

"Shhhh" He soothed her. Mercedes gave up the fight in his arms and crossed her hands behind his back, while she cried all the tears that she had kept locked inside her for so long.

"It's all over, Mercedes." He whispered "I'm here with you" Sam stroked her hair with his right hand whilst his left held onto her waist. She didn't stop crying, not even his words of comfort could stop her cries. She needed to get it all out. She needed to rip it out from inside of her to be able to move on. Mercedes pulled away gently, drying her tears with her fingers and looked into his eyes trying to gather the courage together to talk to him, but he beat her to it.

"I know you used that name at the Rouge Bar" Hearing that she dropped her head, ashamed. He lifted her chin with his index finger making her look at him whilst her hands still held on to his back.

"Forget it. Forget about everything that happened that night, please" he pleaded daring to dry a tear that had refused to separate from the others.

"Not everything, Sam" He looked at her, not understanding what she was trying to say.

"I'll never be able to forget what you did for me. Even though it was to keep your promise" Mercedes breathed deeply closing her eyes for a few seconds "I'll never forget that you can back for me"

_God, no. Please don't let me fall in love with her. I beg you._

"Let's get out of here" He said pulling away quickly before Mercedes could see that she was not the only one who wanted to cry.

"Where to?" She asked noting how Sam's hand took hold of hers again.

"The highway, Mercedes. Where we belong."

She nodded her head whilst she dried her tears with her index finger and held on tightly to his hand so that she would not break down again. He was an angel. A stubborn and disastrous angel, and also forgetful as she realised that for the second day running Samuel Evans had forgotten to eat breakfast.

* * *

><p><em>So, what do you think? Tell us in a review ;)<em>

_The title and the song are translated too. The original song is "Te seguiré" by La Guardia._

_Thank you all for reading it!_


	4. The World through the Glass

_Hi! Here it is the fourth chapter of the story ^^ Hope you like it! Thanks to Anni again who translated it and thank you all for your amazing reviews and your alerts and favourites. I never thought to have so many reviews from the story. I'm so happy you like it, you don't know. :D Thanks again!_

_And iIf you haven't already done so please check out "Shining Light" by the wonderful jericho2k. You'll love it! :)_

_As always, Sam's thoughts are written in italic._

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just the truck. ;)<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>The World through the Glass<strong>_

_Talk to me about your dark room_

_Your sleepless nights and your heat_

_Call me and I'll be at your side_

_Don't ask me who I am because I don't know_

* * *

><p>They walked back to the truck without speaking or looking at each other. They were feeling their hands joined together as though it was the most important thing in the though they felt that what they had would be gone from one moment to the next and they didn't want that to happen. They had been through situations that had changed them, situations that had made them stop seeing each other as enemies. They weren't any more. Something had changed inside. Now they worried about each other and they supported each other. They looked after each other. There now existed complicity between them but there were still walls to breach and fears face.<p>

Sam opened the passenger door letting go of her hand reluctantly and helping her to climb in without her complaining as she normally did each and every time. Then he slowly walked around the front of the cab, climbing into the truck and sitting down in his seat. His hand fished the keys out of his pocket to put them in the ignition but instead of doing so he leaned his head back against the seat and closing his eyes for a few seconds.

"Sam…" she called him making him open his eyes to listen to her.

"What?" He said sarcastically drawing out the word.

"What are you doing?"

"I am resting. Can't you see?" He shut his eyes again leaning his head back. "You made me run Mercedes. You can put it down to the fact that I haven't slept until now, but I still feel sore from Tuesday's beating and yesterday's session…"

Mercedes pulled him up to stand taking him by surprise and making Sam push her without realizing it.

"Calm down! I just want you to go to the back cowboy" she told him amused.

"Not again Mercedes"

"Don't argue with me her Sam. You just told me you haven't slept the whole night. You're not seriously thinking of driving like this are you?" she said wrinkling her forehead in disagreement.

"Of course not. I was only resting for a few minutes and then I'll be able to go back on the highway" Sam watched her raise her index finger and signal to him to move to the rear without saying anything.

He shook his head making her more angry than she already was.

"Do not make me tell you again Blondie."

"You gonna make this into a habit Mercedes Jones" he said getting up and moving to the rear "you will make me sleep during the day and drive at night" He replied amused.

"I'm not the one, who decided to drive to Portsmouth" she reminded him "if you got your sleep pattern mixed up that's your problem."

"Exactly. I can go back to my seat then" he said getting up from the bed.

"No way" she replied pushing him back down to lie on the bed "you going to sleep for a bit and then I'll wake you up to continue the journey. Do you trust me?"

"No"

"When you should start trusting me if you want me to travel with you"

"I don't trust you. Yesterday you tucked me into bed at four o' clock in the afternoon and I woke up at eleven at night. I'm not going to go to sleep again. Who knows if I'll ever wake up again? You probably are planning to murder me while I'm sleeping."

"Without a doubt! It's all in my plans,"she replied laughing "along with stealing the truck and driving across the United States with you dismembered in the fridge." Sam started to laugh and covered himself with the sheet.

"Don't let me sleep too much mercedes. I beg you. We can't afford to lose another day of travel."

"Sam, trust me." With those words he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Mercedes had watched him sleep for a few hours, sitting on his bed watching over him until she fell deeply asleep again. She had not been able to help it. His bed was too comfortable and he was sleeping so peacefully that it had invited her to sleep soundly at his side.<p>

"A mouse! A mouse!" Cried Sam waking her up abruptly.

"Where?" She shouted getting up beside him. Mercedes watched as he started to laugh raucously and hit him on the arm making him fall down on the bed again.

"You're an idiot," she said getting up quickly.

"And you're a liar," he replied tapping on the forehead with his finger "you told me "trust in me Sam I won't let you sleep" and the one that went to sleep was you."

"It's not my fault the bed is so comfortable,boy." He shook his head as he let out a small chuckle.

"What time is it," he asked.

"Well…" she looked at the clock in the truck "it is 11. You've slept for 4 hours. How do you feel?"

"Better than before without a doubt. But I'm so hungry I could eat, I don't know… Anything."

"That's nothing new. Especially if you take into account we haven't had breakfast"

_We haven't had breakfast…_

"Come on move yourself and let me sit in front. We will continue on the journey until our stomachs start to complain and make us stop to eat."

She moved to the front of the cab and waited for him to do the same.

"I thought yours already started to complain," she said while he sat down and switched the engine on.

"Oh yes it has but I need to get out of here. Remember today we are going shopping," he smiled at her.

"Wasn't that yesterday?" Sam looked at her strangely.

"Unless you a sleepwalker I would have sworn that yesterday we didn't buy anything on my list," he held the steering wheel with his left hand while he took out a small piece of paper from his pocket and passed it to her.

"What is this?" She asked him taking it from him.

"You heard. It's the list of all the things you need." Mercedes looked at least for a couple of seconds, and then began to read out the things that he had written down.

"Panties, bras, socks, skirts, blouses… What is this? A suspender!" He quickly snatched the paper out of her hand and put it back in his pocket and looked in the other pocket.

"It wasn't that one," he smiled "it's this one"

He passed her the new piece of paper which she took reluctantly.

"A suitcase? What do I need a suitcase for?" She asked bewildered.

"To put everything I am going to buy you in," he said astounded.

"Sam, I really don't need all this stuff. Trousers, T shirts, sweaters, shoes… Are you seriously thinking of buying me all this?" She asked passing it back to him.

"Yes and a wash bag with a toothbrush, comb and anything else you need in it." Mercedes looked at him astounded.

"Why you doing all this?"

"Because it was my fault you lost your bag. You were left without money because of me; it's my way of saying sorry."

"I thought you told me that it wasn't your fault," she looked at him gobsmacked. What on earth had happened that had made Samuel Evans want to give her suitcase full of clothes?

Of course! That stupid promise.

"Who cares!" He exclaimed

"I can't accept all this. I might have accepted that you pay me to travel with you, Sam. But there is no way I can accept you buying me with clothes."

"I'm not buying you with clothes!' he cried without being able to control himself "I don't want to keep seeing you in the ones you are wearing, ok?"

"Why not?" she asked sadly. "Don't you like them?"

Of course he liked them. He loved them! They drove him crazy. He didn't respond and after a couple of minutes without receiving an answer she gave up.

"You want to buy me clothes? Fine! But you're not coming with me to buy them!"

"Why not?" he asked disappointed.

"Because you don't like what I'm wearing," she said annoyed.

"I do like them!" he shouted helpless.

"So why don't you want me to wear them?"

"I've got my reasons, Mercedes."

"And you're not going to tell me. Why not?"

He shook his head. What could he say? That the clothes she had on didn't let him stop looking at her all day? That every time the jacket slipped it also took the T-shirt with it? Or that her jeans traced her ass in a way that would only lead him to certain death? Or her heels. Her heels had driven him mad throughout three long days and nights.

"I want to go with you," he told her "let me come" He waited patiently for her 'no' but it never came.

"Fine, but there is no way you're coming underwear shopping with me." She said seriously.

"Damn it! I had all these dreams…" Sam saw her face light up at the same time as her beautiful smile appeared.

She watched him drive, his gazed fixed on the road ahead, without wavering, without ever losing concentration.

"Sam," she called him. He didn't look at her though, his focus was on the road even though he was listening to her.

"Yes?"

"Thank you, thank you for everything you've done. I know that it's because if that promise, I know."

_It's not because of the promise._

Sam nodded his head without replying, something that Mercedes hated. What did she expect? That he was going to say that there was nothing to thank him for? She was very much mistaken if she had thought that about Samuel Evans, very much mistaken

"Thank you," he whispered almost inaudibly.

"What?" She thought she had heard wrong.

"Thank you"

"What for?" why was he thanking her?

"For making me laugh all the time," he said hoping his cheeks wouldn't betray him again. Mercedes' mouth dropped open in shock. He was thanking her for making him laugh? And now he'd tell her that the reason she made him laugh is because he liked to make fun of her.

"You like to laugh at me, right? That's what you mean to say?"

"Of course not! I do not make fun of you. I'm saying that you make me laugh, Mercedes. You're fun and you've made the journey less boring," Sam chose his words carefully so that they would not be taken the wrong way.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, ducking her head. "I thought…"

"I know what you thought. Don't ok? I'm sorry I was rude when we met. I'm just like that, I can't help it. But I suppose after everything we've been through we now see each other in a different light. At least we're not trying to kill each other."

"Oh no?" she asked, amused.

"No"

"You thought I was going to kill you while you slept"

"Very funny," he said trying to keep his gaze fixed on the highway but it was impossible. Her laugh had made him lose concentration and her smile made him lose his lust for driving.

_Lose my lust for driving? Dear God, it's worse than I thought..._

Frightened, his expression changed quickly.

"What's wrong, Sam?" she asked worried.

"I'm hungry," he said without thinking.

"Oh," she nodded her head and relaxed, leaning back in her seat "I don't think we're too far from the next city"

"Look," he said pointing at a sign a bit of a way off. "Richmond Kentucky, three kilometres."

"About fifteen minutes?" she calculated.

"Maybe less," Sam looked at her out of the corner of his eye as they passed the sign.

"Richmond Centre. Is that where we're going?" she asked curious.

"Yep right there. You'll love it Mercedes," he gave her his best smile.

"Are there puppets?" she asked laughing.

"I don't have a clue but it has a square filled with beautiful flowers. And lots of shops…and restaurants…and a cinema. They have a cinema too..." he said excited.

Mercedes looked at him, the smile disappearing off her face. What had happened? Had he said something wrong?

"I don't like the cinema," she said sadly, although she hid her face so that he couldn't see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Why not?" he wanted to know "What kind of girl doesn't like the cinema? I don't mean action films but one of those romanctic fims…I'm sure you like them."

"No," she shook her head without looking at him.

Sam couldn't understand why all of a sudden the atmosphere had turned cold between them. He felt she was still hiding something even though he had told her his life story. He only knew that her mother had died and that her father, the son of a bitch, had left when he found out he was going to have a baby. He also knew she was headed to Alabama but no idea why. He didn't know her. He didn't know anything about her and he was dying to get to know her, for her to tell him everything she had been through. Deep down inside, Sam knew she would never tell him. He would have to be content with the little that he was discovering about her. And for the moment he had found out that….he should never take her to the movies.

Ten minutes later he parked the truck in the carpark of the mall. Mercedes had not spoken to him again much to his chagrin. Sam felt as though he had put his foot right in it although he really didn't know why. He jumped down from the truck and ran to open her door and help her down but she had got there before him, climbing down without help, much to his dislike. What had he done that had affected her so badly? Mercedes no longer talked to him, wouldn't even look at him and he was beginning to get worried. He needed to know what had upset her but at the same time didn't dare ask. What if she got even more annoyed? If he took his eyes off her for a second and she left? Oh God no! He couldn't bear to lose her again. And if it happened this time, he wouldn't have a clue of where she might have gone.

"Come on lazy! I'm dying of hunger," he tried to break the ice pushing her gently at the same time as tickling her waist gently. Then he walked in front of her expecting her to follow. He didn't look back as he didn't want to see the expression of disgust which was on her face lately.

They went into the first restaurant they came too and sat next to the window, looking outside whilst one of the waiters came over to serve them. Mercedes ordered reluctantly making Sam get annoyed at the fact that she intended on not eating again.

"You're going to eat, Mercedes" she looked at him pursing her lips.

"Hey, I'm serious. Don't start like you always do. If you won't eat I'll have to feed you and I don't think you'd like that."

"No Sam. Don't you start again. Pay attention to your own food and try not to vomit it back up as soon as you've eaten. Leave mine alone."

He stared at her openmouthed. How could it be possible that they were back to the same situation as before? Sam had thought that the hatred they had felt for one another was a thing of the looked like he'd been wrong. Mercedes had put her armour back on. Had built a wall right in front of him; a wall which would take a lot for him to break down.

"I'm sorry," he apologised. He wasn't sorry, not in the slightest. He was worried about her, very worried. He couldn't help it. Everytime she got angry with him, she wouldn't hadn't eaten since the day before. Stupidly, he hadn't taken her for breakfast. What was it about Mercedes Jones that made him forget everything? She relaxed a bit looking through the window at the square filled with flowers that they had passed to get there.

"Here you go…enjoy," the waiter said, leaving their plates on the table. Sam waited for her to start eating before he did, but she didn't. She picked up a fork and moved the food about the plate from one side to the other.

"Mercedes…" he said warningly.

"I'm not hungry. You can eat it like I did with your sandwich." She said annoyed.

"If you don't eat I'll do what I said before. You don't want everyone to see me feeding you right?" Mercedes put the fork down and shoved her chair back, letting him know how little she cared about everyone else.

"Fine!" he said standing up. "Move along a bit"

"Hey! What are you doing?" she asked raising her hands to stop him.

"I'm going to feed you, I already told you," Sam put his chair down next to hers.

"No way! I'm not a baby!" she pushed him before he could sit down "Go back to your own seat,"

"Mercedes, honey" he said looking around "The entire restaurant is looking at us. Control yourself a bit," She snorted annoyed.

"I don't want to eat," she repeated as he sat down beside her.

"Right…Come on give me that fork," He moved his hand to grab it but her hand grabbed it first beginning a battle to win the damned utensil.

"Let it go Sam," she said feeling his agitated breathing too close to her "Let go of it now" But there was no way he was giving in. He had decided to feed her even if she died of shame. Even if all the diners in the restaurant stared at them. Even if he didn't eat anything again.

With his other hand he fastened his fingers on her hand trying to get her to let go of the fork. It was at that moment that she let go of it as though she had been burned. The fork clattered on the table while she raised her fingers to her mouth.

"For God's sake!" she said trying to soothe them. "What was that!" she asked wide-eyed whilst she waved them around in the air.

"What was what?" he said grabbing the fork off the table and using it to pick up some spaghetti.

"You gave me an electric shock, Sam," and immediately as she said this he put the forkful of spaghetti into her mouth, taking her by surprise.

"Umm." She groaned trying to chew and breathe at the same time as he picked up yet another mouthful from the plate.

"Swallow, Mercedes. Here comes more," She still had her mouth full and she held the fork down on the plate whilst moving her fingers to show that she was not going to eat any more.

"You're going to eat everything that's on this plate, whether you like it or not. Swallow, come on," She shook her head, swallowing finally what he had force-fed her.

"No, no way," she said closing her mouth quickly in case he tried to take her by surprise again. But Sam didn't care. He raised the fork to her mouth staining it with tomato sauce.

"Open up, Mercedes," said Sam seriously. She pulled back a couple of centimeters from the fork and shook her head. Sam didn't know whether it was due to the hunger he had or because her mouth was stained with tomato sauce but in that moment he would have given anything for her to allow him to kiss her. He wanted to so much! His eyes would not stop gazing fixedly at her mouth and Mercedes had become aware of it her hand lifting towards her face with the intention of wiping it. But his hand got their before and his thumb stroked her lips, cleaning them.

For a couple of seconds which seemed like minutes to both of them, Sam didn't stop caressing her lips with his fingers. Mercedes sat still, too still observing how he stared intensely at her lips. Was he planning to kiss her? If he did, how would she react?

But he didn't kiss her, he dropped his hand slowly away from her mouth and looked down at the plate. He grabbed the fork and made her eat again. This time she didn't resist. She opened her mouth and ate the food without argument. Scared that he would stain her lips and caress them again.

"Sam," she said, once she had swallowed "I can carry on myself, ok? I understand that you won't stop until I've eaten everything. Go back to your own seat or I'll have to feed you now."

"Really? Ok!" he said grabbing his own plate and putting it down at her side. "You can start feeding me now,"

"Are you kidding? I'm not feeding you."

"Come on, I fed you," he said, laughing "And I'm dying of hunger…don't I make you feel sorry?"

"No," she said shaking her head while she picked up his fork and placed it in his hand. "Go on, eat"

Sam grabbed it and wrapped some spaghetti and ate them quickly, staining his own mouth. Mercedes started laughing.

"Whaff's wong?" he asked chewing at the same time. She shook her head grabbing a napkin and wiping him.

"You're a disaster, do you know that?" she told him whilst laughing. Sam nodded whilst he swallowed and gave her one of his smiles.

"So…you'll feed me then?" he asked hopefully.

"No" she pronounced.

"I had to try," he replied getting up and moving his seat back to its original place. "Eat"

She rolled her eyes and picked her fork up eaten another mouthful of food.

"Happy?" she said once she had swallowed it down.

"Yes," he replied whilst he ate his own meal. "What do you want for dessert?"

"Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing? Of course you have to have dessert! There is no good food that isn't followed by a good dessert! I'm going to order chocolate pie with cream. And you?"

"I don't want anything Sam. Really," she protested.

"Ok well I'll just ask for a double helping and share it with you," he said,smiling.

"You won't let it go will you?"

She watched as he quickly wolfed down the rest of his meal and raised his hand to call the waiter.

"Double helping or another plate for you?" he asked.

"Double helping then," she replied, amused. She bit her lip and looked briefly at the waiter causing him to go red with embarrassment whilst he wrote the order down.

"Ok you heard that, right? Please bring me a double helping of chocolate and cream pie. My girl wants me to share it with her." he said, winking at him. The poor boy left hurriedly towards the kitchen.

"You frightened him," she laughed.

"For sure…eat your spaghetti" She rolled her eyes…didn't he ever get tired of making her eat? She picked up her fork and finished her meal. The waiter brought out the dessert and two spoons quickly and took the rest away.

"It looks good! Come on Mercedes, eat" Sam said picking up a spoon and cutting into the pie and lifting it to his mouth.

"Slowly, Sam. Or it'll sit badly with you like yesterday," she reminded him, grabbing her spoon to do the same. Ten minutes later the pie had gone and Mercedes could barely move because of all that she'd eaten and Sam was trying to wipe the cream off as she laughed at him.

"I can't eat anything else!" she said trying to stop laughing. "I hope you don't want to go shopping now, I'm not going to fit in any trousers."

Sam flagged the water down for the bill and he leaned over the table to whisper.

"All the more reason to buy skirts," Mercedes rolled her Evans was never going to change and deep down inside she was grateful for it.

"Come on," he said holding out his hand once he had paid the bill. "Let's go"

She took it and got up slowly so that the food that she'd eaten did not make her feel ill.

"Are you ok?" he asked worried as they left the restaurant hand in hand.

"I've eaten too much," she said pouting.

"Let's sit down on one of the benches in the square. We've got time…Actually we've got the whole afternoon."

When they got to a bench Mercedes let go of his hand and they sat down side by side. They sat there for half an hour without speaking. Quiet. Just feeling each other's nearness. They didn't have to talk to feel comfortable silence let them see that. Sam had never been this way with any girl. By her side, being with her, caring for her, protecting her without expecting anything in return. It was a new experience for him.

* * *

><p>"Come on Sam. Or we'll stay sitting here all afternoon," she said holding out her hand to help him up.<p>

_I wouldn't mind staying here as long as you were here with me._

He took her hand, standing up but they let go quickly, walking towards the mall side by side.

"Where do you want to go first?" he asked.

"I have no idea. Where's your list…the good one please,"

Sam smiled at her amused and fumbled in his pocket passing her the piece of paper.

"Shoes I need shoes. These are killing me," she said gesturing at the heels she had on.

_Believe me, not just you._

"Shoes? Ok, how do you want them?" He said smiling.

"Without heels." She replied and he burst out laughing.

Finally she bought two pairs or shoes; one pair of flats and another pair which were double the height of the heels she had worn through the journey. She had also gone into an underwear store, having gotten really annoyed with him so that he didn't come in with her and bought two new sets of underwear. Then they had bought some sweaters and t-shirts and had stopped at the drugstore to buy a toothbrush and everything else she required.

"You need pyjamas," he said as they left the luggage shop "If you want to sleep in the bed in the truck you need them,"

"You're going to let me sleep in your bed?" she asked excitedly.

"Only if we buy you pyjamas,"

Mercedes nodded her head and grabbed his hand pulling him and the bags he was carrying.

"Come on then. Let's go buy pyjamas!" Sam smiled and followed her laughing. Mercedes Jones was going to ruin him! But it was worth it just to see her smile. One set of pyjamas and two vests later they finally went to get some trousers.

"These will look great, miss. I'm sure they're your size," said the assistant with a friendly face. Mercedes looked at her doubtfully but took them anyway in the changing rooms while Sam watched her intently. Closing the curtain she took off her trousers to try the new ones on. Just as she had thought the trousers were at least two sizes too big. Great! The assistant obviously had no clue about sizing. Now she had to put her ones back on and ask her to get some smaller ones.

"How are they?" Sam asked from the other side of the curtain, startling her.

"Awful," she replied sticking her head out. He moved closer to the cubicle to avoid shouting.

"Why… don't they fit?" he asked curious and for the first time he was not using a joking tone. Mercedes opened the curtain enough so that he could see how they fit. She grabbed the trousers around the waist and pulled them away from her skin like they were elastic.

"They're huge! I need them at least two sizes smaller. See?"

No. What Sam could see was her new set of underwear peeking out from under the trousers and killing him slowly. She had bought it half an hour ago and already had it on. Breathing deeply, Sam nodded.

"Yes they're way too big. Take them off and I'll ask the girl for the right size," Mercedes closed the curtain again starting to take her trousers off. Just as she was about to take the other leg out Sam burst into the changing room running and pushing her against the wall.

"For God's sake Sam! What are you doing in here?" she asked pushing herself off the wall and recovering her balance at the same time that he sut the curtain covered his eyes with his hand.

"I'm not looking, I'm not looking! I swear I'm not!" he said turning his back.

"I don't believe you," she replied taking off her trousers. "What happened?" Still in the same position he replied.

"I was out there minding my own business waiting for the trousers when an old woman came out from one of the cubicles and accused me of watching her as she got changed." Mercedes tried not to laugh but she couldn't help it. He turned with his hand still over his eyes.

"Did you do it? Did you spy on her?" she asked forgetting she had taken her trousers off and was holding then in her hand and that her legs were completely bare in front of him.

"Of course not!" he cried uncovereing his eyes and noticing her bare skin. He trained his gaze on her eyes to avoid the temptation of looking at her beautiful legs and her sexy underwear. "Are you crazy!"

Mercedes pulled the curtain back a couple of centimeters, just enough to stick her head out and see if the old woman was still out there, giving Sam the opportunity to admire her new panties from behind.

"I can't see here," she said seriously. "I'm sure you scared her Sam. Are you sure you weren't watching her?" she asked him arching an eyebrow.

"Please, Mercedes. Do you honestly think that I'd be spying on an old woman when I could be looking at you?" said Sam looking at her legs briefly. She followed the direction of his gaze and suddenly remembered she was in a state of undress in front of him. Hysterical, she pushed him out shoving the trousers at him and crying "Get out of here! And bring them in my size!"

She leaned on the wall closing her eyes for a moment, giving thanks that she had worn her new underwear. She turned around looking at herself in the mirror. Her appearance was horrible but at least her new panties had saved the situation. However she badly needed a shower and to wash her hair. She brought her face closer to the mirror, noting her tiredness. She had been through a lot to arrive here. Nothing was left of the Mercedes Jones that had left home determined to devour the world, leaving nothing insecure, distrustful, shy Mercedes Jones. Everything had changed the moment she had met Sam Evans. He, a natural disaster, had arrived in her life to get it into order. After everything she had been through she had trusted in someone again and that person had been precisely the least person she could have expected.

"Two sizes smaller," he said from the other side of the curtain. Mercedes tuck her hand out waiting for him to pass them to her.

"Stay outside," she replied taking them into the cubicle. She tried them on quickly and just as she had thought the fit her perfectly, like a hand in glove.

"How are they?" he asked. Mercedes opened the curtain slowly coming out of the cubicle barefoot.

"I think they fit me nicely," she said, twiling around.

_Nicely? Mercedes, you're killing me._

"They're not too tight?" he asked worried. "Can you breathe ok in them?"

_Because I can't._

"Yes of course," Mercedes looked at him doubtfully. "Do you like them?"

"They're ok," he replied trying to distract himself. "You know I saw an adorable dress outside,"

"Sam…" she protested "I'm not buying any dresses." She turned around opening the curtain to go inside. He put out a hand to stop her turning her towards him.

"Come on, just try it on," he begged her with a pitiful face.

"What colour is it?" she asked shaking his hand off. Sam though about it for a couple of seconds before replying.

"Purple" He watched her smile.

"Ok bring it here. But only because it's my favourite colour." She said, amused as she sent him towards the store.

"Purple's your favourite colour? You should have told me earlier! There's a purple skirt over there…" he said turning to point out a rack where the skirt supposedly was.

"Sam…don't tempt fate," he raised his hands up.

"Ok I'm sorry. I'll go get the dress."

Mercedes watched him leave, tracking his path to the assistant. They went to the shop window and it was impossible to keep watching them due to the clothing racks between them. She turned around and went into the cubicle, shutting the curtain.

Sam was right. There were a bit tight, but they were the first pair of trousers she had found in a long while that she liked the way they looked on her. Her backside looked nice in them, to her way of thinking. If she had to hold her breath to wear them, she would glady do it. Wanting to look nice had its inconveniences and this was one of them.

"Here you go," said Sam expecting her to open the curtain but she only stuck her head out looking at the dress he brought on a hanger.

"It's very pretty!"

"Of course! Come on try it on," he said passing her the hanger quickly with a smile from ear to ear. Mercedes took it excitedly and retreated back into the cubicle to try it on. It was lovely and it fit her perfectly but the zip was in the back and she couldn't reach it.

"Sam," she called. However he didn't reply so she put her head out again.

"Sam, can you come in for a moment?"

"What do you need?" he asked once inside. Mercedes turned around showing him her bare back and picking up her hair with her hand.

"Can you do it up, please?"

"What?" he asked confused. She turned back around, hair falling down her back seeing his look of disconcertion.

"The zip, Sam" she explained grabbing her hair with her hand again making the dress slip down her left arm being as the zip was undone. Showing him how well her new bra went with her panties.

"Of course, Sam tried to tear his gaze off her breasts hurriedly, before she realised. He had the good or bad luck depending how you looked at it, that the zip was located at the bottom of her back, just where her backside was hidden underneath her underwear. Sam tried to calm his trembling hands before grabbing the zip. He didn't want her to see he was nervous. He didn't want her to see that he was dying to take the dress of her instead of helping her to put it on. His hand grasped the zipper while the other held the material of the dress and he began to do it up, slowly, brushing her skin at times with his fingers. Noticing how it was now done all the way up Mercedes spun around in front of the mirror.

"It's lovely!" she said stroking the material with her hands.

"Yes, it is," he smiled in agreement "we're taking it."

Mercedes turned around quickly ready to argue.

"No Sam, I don't need a dress," she said seriously.

"Get that idea out of your head, Mercedes or I'll buy you the skirt as well"

Half an hour later, they went back to the truck with loads of bags in their hands and a suitcase full of clothes.

"I can't believe it's nighttime already," Mercedes cried climbing into the truck. "We've spent the whole day shopping. Are you sure you're not a girl?" she asked, amused.

"Do you want to prove it?" asked Sam jokingly.

"No thank you. I believe you"

They put the packages in the back of the truck leaving them on top of the bed and sat down in their seats rapidly. They agreed to drive to a small motel on the outskirts of town, where Sam slept whenever he was nearby. They couldn't stand to sleep another night without having a good shower. They drove for an hour until they reached the 'Sun of Richmond' motel and they stopped they got down they after having placed Mercedes' things in the suitcase and Sam's in his travelling rucksack. When they walked into the motel the owner welcomed them with open arms.

"Sam Evans! Long time no see!" Mercedes watched how the man who had previously been behind the bar stepped forward to give an effusive hug to her travelling companion.

"Too long, Jerry" he replied clapping him on the back.

"Wow! You finally got a girlfriend?" Mercedes looked at Sam waiting for him to get her out of the erroneous assumption the motel owner had come up with in his mind.

"Not really. Mercedes is my travelling companion." The owner nodded his head gesturing an apology to Mercedes.

"This is Mercedes Jones. Mercedes this is Jerry Forks."

"Pleased to meet you" she said quickly moving forward to shake his hand.

"Pleasure is all mine, Mercedes" Jerry replied squeezing her hand and giving her a friendly smile. "What brings you here? Are you coming to say hello?"

"We need a room with two beds. We'll stay here the night and then leave tomorrow at first light," Sam informed him.

"Oh God! I don't have any rooms with two beds left. I've only got one bed rooms. You can have two rooms," Jerry suggested.

"No, no" Mercedes replied quickly making them both turn towards her bemused. "We don't need two. We don't have a problem sharing"

"Are you sure?" Sam asked, praying she wouldn't take it back. She didn't…just nodded her head.

"One room then, Jerry."

"Great!" he answered getting the keys from the key locker. "Room eleven. Sign here."

When they got to the room, Mercedes swept in like a hurricane leaving the suitcase on top of the bed and ran to the bathroom without wasting any time.

"Mercedes, take your pyjamas with you," he said before she could go in. "You've got pyjamas now. Don't come to bed in a towel again" he begged. She looked at him for a couple of seconds before doing as he asked and opening the suitcase to get her pyjamas and wash bag out.

"Thank you," she said carrying the pyjamas into the bathroom.

Sam grinned stupidly at the door which she had shut leaving him alone in the wasting any time he threw himself on the bed separating his arms and legs while he stretched. It wasn't his beloved bed on the truck but at least in the motel they had a shower. He'd been needing a shower for days. A good shower which would leave him feeling like new. Quite honestly after the last few days that's all he needed. A shower and a sleep. Sleep through a whole night without any worries. Sleep with her. Share the bed with her.

Sam breathed in deeply, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He was going to sleep with her, in the same bed. Mercedes hadn't wanted a room to herself, she had agreed to share the same one. Why? Was she thinking about asking him to sleep in the truck? Maybe she wanted the bed in the motel room all to herself. Sam hoped and wished that it wasn't so because he needed to sleep in that bed. He needed to rest.

Still keeping his eyes closed he tried to remember the last moments he had just spent with her. He'd gone shopping with her the whole afternoon and contrary to what he had expected he'd had an awesome time with loved her laughed and the grouchiness she displayed at times. He loved everything about her. Including the fact that she could kill him just with the clothes she wore. Dear God! It was impossible that she could breathe in those new trousers. Impossible! Her intention for buying them had been to kill him on purpose. He was sure of it. And the dress…The dress had been his idea. But it fit her beautifully. It fit perfectly! From the moment he had seen it in the shop window he had imagined what she would look like in it. When she had put it on, he had been stunned stupid, seeing her curves accented by the dress. The blasted zipper had almost been his undoing, and he'd had to fight not to take the dress off her and kiss her passionately whilst he crowded her against the wall of the cubicle. It was all in his head and there it would stay. He couldn't touch her, at least not how he wanted to. He'd content himself with looking after her and protecting her just as he'd promised and enjoying what was left of the week by her side. At Thanksgiving their paths would separate and they wouldn't see each other again. Sam felt how a pain rose in his chest and spread throughout his whole tired body. He tried to get up, thinking that his position wasn't helping him rest but the pain was still there. It wouldn't go. Was it for her? Was it hurting him to leave Mercedes?

He had to do it! She had her own destiny and he had his own life. Their paths would separate on Thursday of the next week and he couldn't change that no matter how much he wanted to. He would miss her yes, but he would go on.

_I'll go on without you._

The bathroom door opened and Mercedes came out in her pyjamas. Sam turned with care and observed her pyjamas were like a tracksuit, not sexy in the slightest. But the top half had lots of buttons which he was dying to unbutton. And her wet curls fell down on top of it wetting it slightly, making her shiver slightly as she tried to dry it with a towel. She wasn't wearing a bra.

_She isn't wearing one._

"You can go for a shower, it's free" she said.

"Mercedes," he said making her raise her head and look at him. "You want me to sleep in the truck, right?"

She was shocked when she heard what he had said. Was he being serious?

"No, what makes you think I want that?" she asked sadly.

"I don't know…I thought that maybe by refusing a room for yourself you thought you'd have this one and…"

"No way Sam. You need to rest," she said getting up from the bed and standing in front of him. "You haven't slept properly since Monday. If of course you even managed to sleep that night. Listen; if you don't want to share the bed with me I can sleep in the truck. But there is no way you're going to"

"I don't mind sharing with you," he said sincerely "If you don't mind either,"

"I don't mind, really." She replied quickly. "Go and have a shower. You'll sleep better for it."

Sam nodded his head and went to the bathroom with a smile on his face.

When he finally came back out of the shower Mercedes had lain down on the right hand side of the bed, stuck as close to edge as possible to give him as much room as she could. He climbed in too pulling the sheet back and lying down by her side, leaving some distance. Naked from the waist up, he settled between the sheets, curling up and covering himself completely so that no part of him was exposed to the chill of the room. Hearing Mercedes' calm breathing beside him, he fell asleep.

He didn't sleep for long because her movements beside him throughout the night wouldn't let him. Worried, he turned towards her noticing her agitated breathing and the slight whispers she was making. She was crying. Mercedes was crying while her whole body trembled. Maybe from cold? Sam covered her carefully so as not to wake her and watched her for a time waiting for her to calm down and stop trembling. She didn't though. Her whispers got louder making him get closer to hear what she was saying.

"Mom…" Mercedes didn't stop trembling whilst she called for her mother. Her tears wouldn't stop either.

"Mom…Mom…" She was shaking and crying. Sam watched her shaking as she desperately called her mother in her dreams.

"Mommy..." He stretched out his hand fighting the urge to hold her. He stopped it half way. Even though it hurt him, she didn't want him to hold her. She started to cry harder and call her without stopping. He couldn't stand it any longer and moved closer to her at the same time as she screamed for her mother and woke up.

"Mom!" Opening her eyes, she remembered where she was even though the room was dark. She covered her mouth with shaking hands, noticing that her cheeks were wet with the tears that she had cried. She dried her cheeks trying to calm down. But she couldn' memory of her mother's death would follow her in her dreams, always. She started to cry again, trying to not make much noise so as not to wake Sam but he moved beside her showing her that she had already done so.

"Mercedes" he caressed her arm, rubbing it carefully trying to put some warmth back. She didn't stop crying or trembling.

"Sam," she cried between sobs.

"I'm here Mercedes. I'm here with you," She searched for his hand on her arm and trembling pulled it towards her.

"Hold me, please" she begged as she put his hand over her stomach and placed her trembling hand over it.

He pressed himself completely to her body, so that his naked chest remained in contact with her back. He left a kiss on her hair, whilst he held her tightly, trying to calm her down. Mercedes' hand interlaced her fingers with his, making them shake as well. She needed him. She really needed him. Without being able to stop crying she said what he never thought she would say.

"Don't go Sam. Don't you go too."

* * *

><p><em>So, what do you think? Tell us in a review ;)<em>

_The title and the song are translated too. The original song is "El mundo tras el cristal" by La Guardia._

_Thank you all for reading it!_


	5. I will never learn to forget you

_I know this time I took a long time to update, I'm really sorry, but here's the new chapter. The story is about to end in the Spanish version, I think there will be only one chapter to close it (14 chapters) and it hurts me to finish. Thank you for all the reviews! I have been excited as a little girl. Sorry again for the lateness in update and I hope you enjoy the new chapter. If you didn't read the amazing fics that Anni (who translated this fic) write (The Wedding Planner, Shining Light and the amazing RileyStreet fic) you should read it NOW. ^^ Her stories are the best :D See you on the next chapter, hope we can publish it soon :) Thank you so much for reading this and sorry for my English :S_

_As always, Sam's thoughts are written in italic._

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just the truck. ;)<strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>I will never learn to forget you<strong>_

_A star met the curves of a road,_

_I who always wandered lost, I found direction._

_A thousand memories that are gone, never to return_

_and wordsI erased, I just want to feel the touch of your skin._

_I can't leave your side,_

_I don't know how to say goodbye,_

_and I will not play solitaire,_

_prays the heart._

_I don't want to remember, my past is left behind,_

_I just want to tell you I will never learn to forget you._

* * *

><p>Finally Mercedes stopped crying and shaking. Little by little she fell asleep in his arms. Those strong arms protected her and cared for the whole night, not wanting her to wake calling for her mother again. Wanting the nightmares that she had not to return again.<p>

Sam couldn't sleep. He needed to rest but the fear that she would need him and he wouldn't be there for her worried him. Mercedes had begged him not to go and he wasn't thinking of going anywhere. He would not leave her side. That's what she had meant. She needed him to hold her, needed him by her side. She had asked him for that and he couldn't tell her no. That's what she had meant, right? She just needed him to hold her.

He did it. He held her throughout the whole night, caressing her hair with his lips. Hearing her breathing calm and regular whilst he felt how her fingers were letting go due to gravity. But he didn't want to let them go, didn't want to break contact with her hand. So he threaded them with his time and time again whilst he watched her sleep.

One time, Mercedes shifted at his touch, but didn't wake up. She snuggled closer against him, touching her feet with his. They felt frozen with cold, but he didn't move his away. He couldn't. That was all he had received from her, the closeness of her body, her fingers intertwined with his and cold feet. He could never have imagined a better gift. To be able to hold her was like a dream come true. To be able to feel their hands together again, her feet searching for his, to kiss and caress her hair while he watched her sleep.

But it hurt him not knowing what it was that had made her need him. Mercedes had called for mother in her sleep and had woken up screaming for her and Sam was dying to know everything about her mother. He needed to know.

Actually, Sam was dying to know everything about her, he could no longer remain oblivious to her past. Not anymore. Not when it insisted on returning again and again to torment her. But while he was by her side, he would not let anything bad happen to her. Not even in her dreams. Tired, he realized that he wouldn't sleep that night, and that meant that the next morning the trip would be delayed. But he did not care. Sam realized that Mercedes Jones had become his major concern. They still had a week to share until they arrived in to Nashville, and he would watch her sleep, no matter what.

_Sleep, beautiful. I'm here with you. I'm not leaving._

* * *

><p>The next morning when she woke up, Sam was still at her side. Hugging her and holding her hand. Completely pressed up against her, including legs and feet. She turned slowly, feeling his gaze upon her and was startled, scurrying almost falling out of bed. "Oh my God, Sam! What a sight you make! Tell me that you slept" She said, worried.<p>

He thought over his reply for a few seconds. What could he do? Lie to her? Tell her he was perfectly fine? No, he couldn't. He was exhausted! He had not had a good sleep in ...he actually could not remember when. Mercedes was no fool and she knew when he was lying. And if he lied, he would have to get in the truck and drive in his current state. And they could have an accident and it would be all his fault. For not sleeping! But he couldn't sleep, because he needed to know that she was fine! Why was everything so complicated?

"I didn't sleep" he confessed.

"I'm sorry" Mercedes apologized, hanging her head, avoiding his gaze. She felt guilty for having woken him up. She felt guilty for not letting him sleep. "I'm sorry for waking you last night"

The girl raised her head slowly, prepared to meet his annoyed gaze, but annoyance was not what she found in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't let you sleep. I'm an idiot"

"Hey, no! Don't even say that. It wasn't your fault, I just couldn't get to sleep" Sam knew before he opened his mouth, that the lie was he was about to tell her would not convince her in the slightest. "My bruises hurt. That was what wouldn't let me sleep, not you. Don't worry."

She opened her mouth in amazement, quickly covering it with her hand.

"The bruises? Sam, are you okay?" She asked as her fingers caressed his bruised abdomen.

He sighed deeply, feeling her fingers on his cold skin.

"I am now, but it is too late to sleep" he told her, as he pulled back the sheets and tried to get up.

Causing her pull him down, to get him back into bed.

"No way, until you have a good rest we are not leaving here" She covered him with the sheets and stretched out her hand to close his eyes.

"I'll sleep on one condition, Mercedes Jones" he said stopping the progress of her hand towards him.

"What?"

"I need to know what you dreamed last night, Mercedes. I know... well, I guess it wasn't the first time you dreamed about it."

"Sam..." She protested, turning her back to him slightly.

"'You're right. I shouldn't have asked you. I'm stupid and selfish" he said, turning her back towards him.

Mercedes shook her head, smiling slightly.

"Go to sleep, okay?" she said, leaning closer to kiss his cheek.

Sam couldn't help but close his eyes at the feel of her warm lips on his cheek. It felt so good.

"But ... don't leave. Stay with me" he asked "Let's sleep a bit longer, we deserve it, right? We have nothing else to do" he said, the words making her smile her beautiful smile "Nothing to do but sleep and sleep."

Mercedes laughed with him, trying to close her eyes to sleep a little longer, but seeing that he was not closing his, opened them again.

"Close your eyes, Mercedes" he said, amused.

"You first." Sam could not believe what they were doing. They were behaving like a couple to about to say goodbye.

And he wanted to go to watch over her sleep again, but hell he was exhausted, and could take no more.

"Ok" he replied, obeying her and finally closing his eyes.

And he didn't open them again for a long time. Neither did she.

* * *

><p>Three hours later, Sam Evans was rolled over in the bed, searching for the body of Mercedes Jones with his hands. Waking up, seeing that she was no longer beside him. His hand stroked her side of the bed, noticing it was still warm. She hadn't been up long and apparently now was in the bathroom taking a shower.<p>

Sam stretched out on the bed, grimacing at the same time, because of his blows and bruises. He gingerly stroked them, recalling how they had been caused. Trying to forget the image of Mercedes about to be raped, trying to erase from his mind how the disgusting Tonny had groped her. The consequences of that day were not in those bruises, but in the mind of Mercedes. She could never forget what had happened that day how hard she tried. Nor could she forget her mother.

How could a person be so strong and fragile at once? Because that's how Mercedes Jones was. Strong and untamed, yet fragile and brittle at the same time.

What about him? What was he like? Strong or weak?

He got out of bed, turning towards the mirror, seeing the way he looked that morning. Strong and fragile. So was he, though he had taken so long to realize it.

Strong and fragile.

Strong for what he had endured at the Rouge Bar, strong for all that he withstood at her side, unable to touch her and caress her.

And fragile. Fragile because he could not stop looking at her. Because despite knowing her only one day, he had spent that Tuesday looking for her just to be able to say goodbye. Fragile for not being able to stop worrying about her, that she would eat, that she would not want for anything. Fragile for not being able to stop thinking about Mercedes Jones.

Strong and fragile. Like her.

Basically, deep down they were identical. Perhaps for that reason, Sam saw her as his equal. Perhaps because of this, the sparks had flown between the two of them the first time they met. Maybe...

Sam stopped mulling over his thoughts the moment she opened the bathroom door. There she was, as beautiful as ever. With her new jeans and new shirt. And the shoes without heels, which made her so small beside him. With damp hair and watery eyes ... Watery eyes! Mercedes had been crying again! He hurried away from the mirror, rushing to her and pushing her towards the bed to sit beside him.

"How are you?" he asked, pushing back one of her locks of hair falling over her forehead. A shiver ran up and down him, as though he had been shocked. Mercedes reacted getting off the bed quickly, to grab the jacket that he had given her and help him put it on. At first, Sam refused, but finally had to give up at the look that she was giving him.

"I'm fine" she replied, with a deep sigh.

"You're not fine, Mercedes. You've been crying. I'm not an idiot."

"No?" She tried to avoid the by teasing, even though she knew that it no longer worked with him.

Sam refused to answer, and instead took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak.

"I know you don't trust me. I know you think I'm doing all of this because of that promise, but I don't care. I care about you, okay? I can't help it. I like you, Mercedes. Maybe not at first ..." He laughed "I wish you would tell me what's wrong, but I know you won't. However, I need you to know that no matter how we treat each other, if you need me, I'll be there for you."

Saying this he got up, leaving the jacket on the bed and going to the bathroom. But he failed to enter because she called him, causing him to turn back towards her hopeful.

"I see her die" she said, trying to stop the tears from flowing again. "I see her die again and again in my dreams ... in my nightmares. And I can't do anything about it. Nothing." As hard as she tried, the tears would not stop. There they were again, appearing and making her seem weak in his eyes. She brought her knees up on the bed and put her face between them, covering it with their hands.

Sam had thought she would never tell him willingly, but she had done. Mercedes was grieving and trembling as she had done the night before and he was still paralyzed in front of the bathroom door. He had said he would be there for her. He just said it! So why not take the three steps that separated them and sit beside her to hold hug her and hold her against his chest? Why didn't her envelope her and rock until she ceased to cry and erase the bad memories of her mother?

Dear God! He was afraid! Sam Evans was terrified! For the first time in his life did not know what to do or how to react. She had confided everything to him. She had done it and ... Lord he could still not believe it.

Mercedes raised her face, slowly. It was completely wet with tears and she stared at him, hoping he would come near her. However, at the bottom of her heart, Mercedes knew that wouldn't happen.

"I see her die" she repeated, summoning the courage to go on. "'Like I watched her die a month ago, after such a long struggle, after so long. A year ..."

She sighed deeply, without taking her eyes off him.

"For a year I was by her side, without ever leaving it. For a year, renouncing everything else. My friends, love...a whole year. A year just for her."

She closed her eyes for a second, feeling a tear ran down her left cheek. A tear that he wanted to dry, however, his feet would not move from where he stood. And they couldn't move while she continued to tell it all. He had left his jacket over his bed and now was completely frozen, but he would not complain. He might never get another chance to hear it. She might never confide in his again...

"She had cancer. She ... she didn't heed the signs and then ... it was too late. They removed her breasts, but the cancer had spread to the rest of her body. Chemotherapy was not enough and ... and one day, she simply could not fight anymore. She was... the world's strongest person and fighter, but ... to no avail. I lost her. That day I was left alone. Alone. And I dream about her, about her death every night. I see her dying slowly, her life slipping through my hands and I shout, and call for her, but she can't fight. Not anymore."

Sam noticed a small tear run down his right cheek. Was he crying?

"I'm afraid, you know? I'm afraid that the same will happen to me. I don't have anyone to fight with me. I have no one to pray with me. I'm alone."

Sam was dying to shout that what she said wasn't true, she was not alone. That she had him! But that wasn't true. As much as he wanted to be by her side, their paths were not destined to join. In a week they would be going there separate ways. On Thursday they would say goodbye. On Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving! By God! Mercedes could not spend Thanksgiving alone, she could not. It was an important time to spend with family and she had no one. He would be heartless if he didn't invite her to his family dinner. Mercedes needed to feel loved, feel that there were people who cared about her.

Yes, she would dine with them and then they would say goodbye.

He approached the bed and knelt carefully, in front of it. Asking her to show him the face that was now hidden in her hands.

"'I'm sorry" he said kneeling on the floor and grabbing her hand "I'm sorry, really. I ... I don't know what to say. It's. .."

Mercedes watched at him stammer, trying to dry her tears with her free hand. What was Sam Evans doing kneeling in front of her?

"I ... I ... I would like you to come to dinner with us at Thanksgiving."

At last! He had finally managed to say it! Sam was relieved.

"With you?"

"With my family, my grandfather, my parents and my brothers and sisters."

She dropped his hand quickly, so he did not notice that it had begun to tremble.

"I don't think..." she began to excuse herself.

"Come on, I'd like you to meet them" he tried to smile at her whilst his hand dried one of her tears and watched as she closed her eyes at the slightest touch.

_I don't want you to be alone. Not on that night._

"I thought we'd go our separate ways when we got to Nashville, but ...dinner?"

Sam nodded his head.

"I'd love to" she said finally, giving him an enthusiastic smile.

_Thank you, God._

He got up, complaining about his knees and offered his hand for her to also rise. For a moment, they stared at each other while smiling.

"Thank you, Sam. Thanks for letting me share dinner with your family" she said excitedly. And then she embraced him, standing on tiptoe and taking him unawares.

Sam held her tightly against him, leaving his hands on her waist, while hers caressed his bare back. Because he had nothing covering it, but that was not what mattered now.

She was so small! Without heels she looked so tiny next to him. Which made him feel the need to protect her from everything.

He wished he could spend more than that night with her, more than Thanksgiving. Much more than week they would share together. Much more than that.

_I wish I could erase your nightmares, Beautiful. I wish you could give me all your nights. To be with you, always._

Sam felt her so close, completely glued to him. And he was aware that this situation would not repeated. For that reason he did not drop the arms from her waist to stroke her hair, for that reason, he could not move them to draw circles on her back. For the same reason he left them where they were, preventing her from letting go. Keeping his eyes closed, capturing the moment and keeping it forever in his memories.

Noticing how his chest collected her tears, he laid his head on hers in a gesture of affection. Maybe it just had been a minute, maybe it had been more. Sam was not aware of how much time had passed when he was with her. No, Sam was not aware of anything else when he was with Mercedes.

She drove him crazy! Slowly she managed to get in his mind, and now, she was all he thought about... Mercedes had trusted him, had told him what her nightmares were about, had confessed everything that had happened to her and that she was afraid of being alone. Sam knew that would never happen to him. His brothers and sisters wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. He had a family. A family that would care for him as they were now tending to his grandfather in his loneliness.

But she had no one. She had suffered for so long seeing her mother fight the impossible. A whole year.

A year without ... What had she said? No friends, no love. A year without love...

What a fool he'd been! Since they first met, he had not stopped teasing her on the subject of sex.

"_Maybe we could share it ... How long has it been? You know ..." he gyrated his hips and thrust along with pumping his arms to illustrate what he meant. "You know... Black guys may have them bigger, something which I doubt, but don't know how to use them like me, or you wouldn't be so uptight."._

What an idiot!

A year! By God!

And she had gone to the Rouge Bar to...

No!

Sam did not want to remember. It hurt. He had been a fool and an idiot, and too late he realized that.

Mercedes began to move, pulling his hands back and pushing away gently.

"Sorry" she apologized, wiping back tears and pointing to his chest wet with them.

"It's ok" he answered softly. He rubbed his arms as a reflex to their separation.

"'You're frozen. Here" Mercedes approached him with the jacket, trying to put it over him.

"It's yours, Mercedes. I gave you it" he complained.

"But I can lend you it for a while" she smiled sweetly, surprising him completely.

"No need, really. I ... I'm going to shower" Sam ran straight to the bathroom, pausing a second to grab his bag, without looking back.

"Ok" she managed to say before he shut the door.

Mercedes sat back down in bed, gently stroking her mother's ring she wore on his right hand. She kissed it, closing her eyes for a few seconds and then held it against her heart, while a small smile formed on her lips again.

When Sam finally came out of the shower, she had collected all of her things and all of his which he had left on the chair. They left the room and then had breakfast at the bar of the motel. They said goodbye to Jerry Forks, paying off their bill and promised that Sam would come back and see him when he returned to Richmond.

In less than an hour, they were getting on the truck and starting there journey again. They had not spoken since she had confessed everything to him, not even while they had breakfast.

Why? What was it that had distanced them from each other? Was it the hug? A hug so close. Special. So necessary for them. Sam really wanted to believe that it wasn't the embrace that prevented them speaking to each other.

Kilometres later, Mercedes was finally dared to break the silence.

"'Sam ... I ..." she hesitated, and doubted as she had all morning.

"Yes?" He asked, hoping she would not stop.

"I ... I want to go ... I want to go to the movies with you. I'd like you to take me to the movies" she said nervously stroking her mother's ring on her hand unseen.

"The movies?" He could not help looking at her while driving, even if it was just for a second. "You told me you didn't like going to the movies."

Mercedes nodded.

And it was not true, it wasn't. She loved the movies! The theatre, music ... She loved musicals!

"It was the excuse I gave my friends when I was invited to go with them" she confessed.

"To stay with her" Sam said assuredly.

"Yes" Mercedes replied in a thin voice .They had only asked three times. The fourth time had never been materialised perhaps, they had finally understood that she wouldn't have fun with them.

"Mercedes" he caught her eye, looking askance at her "I will not only take you to the movies, but we will do everything that you couldn't do this year. Dancing, skating, going out ... Everything you want" he said excited "We can make up for the year that you lost."

Yes, and he would give moments that would make her forget the bad nightmares. Sam would erase from her mind all the bad memories that tormented her.

"I didn't lose a year, Sam. I spent it with her" Mercedes replied, sadly. "And if I the chance to do it again I would. I would give up everything for her, being at her side."

Sam wanted to answer, but did not. What could he say? He had screwed up. Again. With each new sentence came out of his mouth, he sank deeper. Now she looked at him expectantly, perhaps waiting for an apology from him

"Sorry. I didn't ... I didn't mean..."

"Don't worry. I understand what you meant it" she said soothingly. "You really want to take me dancing and skating?" Sam nodded, sighing in relief.

"You know how to skate?"

"Yes, of course. Since I was little" he lied. His cheeks blushed a bright red, causing her to burst into laughter.

"Really? It will be fun to see you move on the ice.,."

For her, no doubt. Because he had no idea how to skate. He was starting to fear the things that he would have to do to make Mercedes erase the bad memories from her mind.

"I'll take you the zoo too!" He said, excited. "And swimming"

"Swimming? We're not near a beach" she replied, shaking her head.

"Well ... we could go to a pool and imagine that we are at the beach."

"Can you swim?" she asked, worried. Perhaps it was ok to go to skating without knowing how, the most that could happen would that you'd lose your balance and break a bone. But, swimming ... If you didn't know how to swim you could drown!

"Swim? Sure!"

"Since you were little?" she mockingly imitated him.

"Yes. My grandfather taught me. We swam in the river nearby the house. There is a waterfall, you know? Not very high, but it is beautiful."

"Yes? Oh!" Mercedes opened her mouth, surprised. "Would you show me it?"

"Of course! Before you go" he said without thinking, making the silence reign again between them.

Like it was a taboo subject. None of them wanted to discuss the farewell. Sam did not want leave her and Mercedes did not want to be alone. Both had good reasons for not discussing it. What would it be like?

A handshake? A kiss and a hug? A "Thanks, see you"? An "I enjoyed meeting you, I want us to stay friends?" An" I don't want to leave you, stay with me "?

It did not matter how it took place, because on Thursday after dinner, Mercedes would not be with him. She would be far away, probably trying to sleep without success. Frightened by nightmares and memories, while Sam was returning to the road and continuing his life as it was before meeting her. A lonely life.

The kind of life he didn't want for her, but he had years living it! So, why could he not accept the idea of saying goodbye? Sam had lived this way before, Mercedes could too. No? He was certain that although he would never meet her mother, Mercedes was the same as she had been. Strong and a fighter. She would get along without him ... without anyone. Of course she could! But ... he didn't want her to leave him. He simply needed her by his side.

They still had one week to live together, and Sam Evans was willing to give her in everything she asked for.

* * *

><p>That's how it had been, day after day. Walking through the parks, going to the movies in the afternoons, dancing at the night...<p>

On Saturday they had sat in a small park for hours, without speaking, feeding pieces of bread to the pigeons that were there. They had eaten nearby and had gone to the cinema to see Saw 9 later on that night.

Sam did not understand why after not having been to the movies in so long, she had insisted on seeing a psychological horror film. But when she screamed at a particular scene frightened and cowered in his chest, looking for his strong arms to enfold and protect her, Sam thanked God that there were films like this.

On Sunday they had gone to the zoo. There Mercedes had fallen in love with a tiger that was only two weeks old, and a koala that had a broken leg and her mother cradled her in the trunk of a tree. Sam had seen her cry again, but he had not mentioned it to her.

That night had gone dancing at a party being held at one of the city's hotspots. They had to pay admission, but it was worth.

After dinner, when she had said "Shall We Dance?" he had apologized, admitting that he had two left feet and did not want to step on her toes. Mercedes had let a giggle and then had tugged his hand getting up from the table and leading him to the dance floor, where 'Unchained Melody' had already begun to play. She had placed her hands around his neck while Sam grabbed her by the waist, leaning his head on her neck.

"You see?" she had told him, gently "You're dancing well."

And as a reflex, hearing her voice so near his right ear, Sam had stepped on her inadvertently dying of shame at the same time.

"Sorry" he had apologized, pulling back a little.

"It's nothing. I will teach you, at least this way I can thank you for all you're doing for me."

There was a beautiful smile on her lips. The same smile which he directed at her a few seconds later. Fascination, could be read in his eyes. Fascination for the awesome woman who was Mercedes Jones.

On Monday they had found a swimming pool open in the afternoon. In the morning had gone to buy their swimsuits and she had done almost the impossible for him not to come into the changing room. Sam had insisted that she must give his suit her approval and it had proved to be deep dark red similar to that of a life preserver.

He had managed to hypnotize her for a few seconds, trying to imagine how he would look, completely wet coming out of the sea. And she had repressed her urge to bite her lip at the possible image.

As Sam had shown his to her, he had expected her to reciprocate. So he had done his utmost to find out what her final choice had been, but she would not allow it.

"Surprise, Sam. It's a surprise. It's not my fault you're such an exhibitionist!" she had teased him and he had snorted in response.

A black bikini.

A black bikini was what she had bought. A bikini that would eventually kill him. A bikini, he had wanted to take off her ever since they had jumped into the pool but was not able to. Because in addition to the amount of people watching them, he could not touch her. Sam repeated to it to himself every ten seconds so as to never forget it.

Lost in thought, had failed notice Mercedes swimming toward him with the intent of pulling him under water. Lost in thought he had almost had nearly drowned.

"Sorry" Mercedes apologised, when he had finally returned to the surface, coughing like crazy and trying to catch his breath.

"You're sorry? Come here!" He had shouted at her when he had recovered, swimming behind her, stopping from time to time to splash her. "You won't escape! I'm faster!," He said, finally grabbing her and grinning like a fool.

There was no sea. There was no sand, but maybe, just maybe, one day they would find themselves at a beach and could see how the waves caressed the sand, together.

On Tuesday after a long journey, they had spent the afternoon skating, or trying not to fall on the ice. Exactly as Mercedes had expected, Sam couldn't skate and was super clumsy.

"It's hard! Extremely hard!" he shouted whilst she helped him up for the tenth time. "I'm going to break something and then I won't be able to drive"

"You said you knew how to skate" she mocked.

"You should know I lie more than I tell the truth, Mercedes Jones" he answered with a perfect southern accent.

"'Believe me, I know. Come skate with me, boy."

He had embraced her with his left arm, anchoring it through her while her right hand rested on his waist.

"Slowly. Bit by bit" she told him, taking a step.

"Okay."

He had tried. But had it had not been his fault of one of his feet tangled with hers, causing both of them fall to the ground as if they were sacks of potatoes. Making a jumbled heap of their bodies.

Mercedes had tried to get up, accidentally leaning on his stomach and Sam had suppressed a grimace of pain that she had seen.

"Sorry" she had not gotten up, and something told him they were looking ridiculous in front of all the other people there.

"'It's nothing" he said while pushing back a lock of hair falling over her eyes and placing it behind her ear, caressing her. For a moment, Mercedes had been quite sure that Sam was going to kiss her. His lips were so close to claiming her mouth. Frightened, she had pulled away quickly, rising from his side trying not to hurt him.

"I think coming skating was not a very good idea" she said having gotten up and Sam had turned pale when he saw her looking sad.

She had not wanted to him kiss her.

Mercedes had distanced herself quickly when he really had thought she would respond to his kiss.

She didn't like him, not the way he liked her, she had made that clear.

"I think coming skating was not a very good idea" had meant "You trying to kiss me was not a good idea. Don't do it again"

He had not tried again since. It was already Wednesday and they only had a couple of days to left together.

Sam shifted lazily in bed at the motel where they had spent the last two nights. It was amazing how much he had gotten used to sleeping with her without expecting anything in return. He had never done anything like that. Of course he had never stayed too long with the other girls he had sleepy with. But sleeping with Mercedes was all he needed.

The first few nights he had woken up hearing her screams, and his arms had sought to calm her. Nights later, Sam waited for her to fall asleep so he could embrace her, before her mind could recreate those bad memories, those scenes which hurt her so much, anticipating her suffering.

Every morning she got up and saw him holding her. She would watch him for a long time, believing him to be asleep and then give him a kiss on the cheek, whispering a barely audible thanks. Then Mercedes would run quickly toward the shower, as if she knew he could wake up and realize what she had done.

Every morning he pretended to be asleep, to receive his kiss, and then when she left, he stroked his cheek hoping that kiss was not the last she given would give him.

The week had gone by so fast for him. He wished he could turn back time, to stay longer at her side. But that was not possible, at least he hoped she had spent an enjoyable and fun week with him.

That day they would spend travelling, as they had been delayed the previous two days. And on Thursday morning would come to Nashville.

Nashville. His land. The land of his family. The Evans.

His mother asked him every year to bring a girl home and he had never fulfilled her request. But this year would be different. This time he would bring to Mercedes and ... and...

They wouldn't understand why!

No, they wouldn't. He had never taken any girl home. That fact alone would imply how important Mercedes was for him.

His siblings would never believe they were only friends. They were not fools. They knew him and knew perfectly well that Sam Evans did not go around make friends women. At least not before meeting Mercedes Jones.

Neither could he come home and say that she was his travelling companion, who had been travelling with him because he had paid her to. Of course he could not say that. They would think the worst of it!

His mind was trying to find a possible solution, but all his thoughts mingled with his hidden desires and got confused with them.

His family would not believe that Mercedes was a friend or his travelling companion. They would believe she was his girlfriend and nothing would make them think otherwise. So, why not make out as though she were? Because he was sure that Mercedes Jones would start screaming to the heavens just to on hearing his proposal.

Mercedes herself had just left the shower, looking at the bed where he had sat during the final minutes.

"I need to ask you something" he told her quickly, without stopping to say hello.

"Good morning!" She cried, amused "What kind of southern manners are those! You don't even say good morning!"

"Good morning" he answered, seriously, beckoning her to sit on the bed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried.

"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend, tomorrow at dinner."

Sam fixed his gaze on her, not moving an inch, expecting in five seconds for Mercedes to react and hit him with all her might. But that did not happen. She just opened his eyes and mouth in amazement and said,

"What?"

"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend. That is you see ... My family wouldn't understand. I have never brought any woman home and I guess that's what they'll think straightaway. And I can't say that I actually pay you to travel with me, because ..."

The words died in his mouth. Although he knew they would hurt her he had spoken them hoping that she would see reason and say yes.

"They'll think I'm a prostitute" she finished the sentence for him "'They'll think ..." Mercedes avoided his gaze, sadly.

"Hey! That is behind us. Mercedes, forget it. Please." he asked, getting out of bed and sitting beside her, stroking her back "Just pretend to be my girlfriend and that's it. It will only be for one night. We will spend it together with my family and then, well ..." He paused, not wanting to speak of their farewell "We won't even have to kiss. I swear. It'll be enough for us to hold hands and smile at each other."

As he had said, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it, making her feel that he was with her.

"We can do it. I bet you we can. No one will doubt us."

She nodded.

"Another thing" he told her, causing her brow to wrinkle "Do not let them become too attached to you or they'll want us to get married."

"If you think I'm going to change my nature to make them hate me, you're crazy, buddy."

"Great! Just what I wanted to hear. You be yourself and they'll want you out of the house within two minutes" he joked.

His laughter stopped when she, moodily, struck his arm with her left hand.

"Very funny, Sammy. Very funny."

It had been a long time since they argued. But that's how they were, they could not stop. But then they would burst into laughter after making fun of each other, just as they were doing now.

_They wouldn't be able to hate you. Nobody could. Only love you. When they meet you they will not want you to leave. Nor do I..._

Sam squeezed her hand firmly, feeling that sooner or later, Mercedes Jones would end up leaving his life forever.

* * *

><p>Sam Evans spent the rest of Wednesday and part of Thursday driving relentlessly to reach their destination on time.<p>

They stopped only for lunch and dinner and quickly went their way. He had suggested to Mercedes that they get home before dinner so they could prepare and dress for the occasion. She had agreed and also reminded him that he had promised to show her the waterfall near his home. The waterfall that they could only see during the day.

"You were right, Sam. It's beautiful."

Mercedes looked at the waterfall and the wide river that stretched before her, and fell completely in love.

"I'm always right" he answered, as he climbed onto one of the rocks to get a better view. "Come here"

"We might fall, oh fearless one" she warned grabbing hand he offered her nonetheless.

Sam placed before her him and held his hands anchored at the waist. She did not resist his hold, perhaps out of fear that she would fall. Instead, she placed her own hands over his, in acceptance.

"Can you smell it?" He asked, scanning the horizon. "The river, the grass, the meadows ..."

"Do you miss it?"

Mercedes leaned her head back on his chest, while she closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the beautiful countryside deeply.

Sam did the same before answering her question.

"Sometimes I wonder, if I would've stayed her were it not for my job."

"And what conclusion have you come to" she said, stroking his right hand and regretting it at the time.

"'Probably, yes. I was happy here for eighteen years of my life. I know the truck won't run forever. I know that eventually I'll come back here."

"It's a nice place to live."

"It is."

Sam closed his eyes, storing away in his mind the time they had just shared. He hugged her as she stroked his hands and leaned her head back on his chest. He felt her back relax against him, completely calm.

_I would give anything to stay here with you, all my life._

"We should leave here before we fall into the river" she laughed, amused. "What time is it?"

"Six o'clock. It will start to get dark. You're right, let's get down."

Mercedes let his hands go and he got down from the rock that they had stood on, offering his hand to help her down quickly.

"Ready to meet my family, Mercedes Jones?"

"'More than ready!" she replied with a smile from ear to ear.

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, Sam parked his truck in front of his parents' house.<p>

"'Are you nervous?" he asked, taking his suitcase and backpack from the truck.

"A little ... maybe a lot."

"Don't be. They'll love you" Sam slung his backpack on his back and grabbed the suitcase with his right hand offering his pretend girlfriend his left.

"'You did warn them I was coming with you, didn't you?"

Both went to stand at the front door and Sam gestured to her that to ring the bell.

"The truth is no I didn't. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Sam!" she reproached him "And if they take offence? You should have warned them!"

The door opened suddenly, startling them out of their conversation.

"Hey little bro! Still alive! I thought you had been swallowed by a black hole!"

"Very funny, Mary Ann. Let us through, come on, this is heavy."

The girl did what her brother asked, casting a quick glance at the girl who was with him.

"New conquest, Sammy?" she asked this time, looking her up and down.

"'Mary Ann, this is my girlfriend, Mercedes Jones. Mercedes, this is my sister Mary Ann."

Mercedes gently stuck out her hand, but she refused to shake it.

"Mom is calling me to help her with the turkey" she said, closing the door and leaving them alone.

"Sam! Sammy! Sam! Oh, my God!"

Mercedes saw a teenager running down the stairs to Sam and in less than a second she threw herself at him, almost knocking him to the ground.

"Stace!" he shouted, grabbing her in his strong arms and spinning her in the air.

Mercedes looked on, spellbound.

"'Stop you're making me dizzy!" Stacy yelled, asking him to stop spinning her. Sam quickly put her down on the ground and, siblings hugged each other again affectionately. "I missed you so much! You are an ingrate, Sam. You've forgotten about us!"

"I know" he apologized, and pulled back. "Thanks for the welcome. Now I remember why you are still my favourite sister."

"Are you talking about Mary Ann? You didn't really expect her to give you a warm welcome did you? Oh, Sam. Sometimes you're too naïve" mocked his little sister.

"Stace, I want you to meet ... my girlfriend, Mercedes Jones."

"Girlfriend?" The teenager turned in the direction her older brother's hand was pointing "Oh my God! Did you say girlfriend?"

Mercedes smiled at Sam's sister as her eyes widened.

"Hello! My name is Stacy Evans. Nice to meet you" The girl moved closer to her, offering her hand.

"The pleasure is mine" Mercedes replied with a smile as she shook her hand.

"You never said you had girlfriend." Stacy reproached her brother, turning to him.

"I didn't tell anyone" replied Sam, standing next to Mercedes and encircling her waist with his right arm.

"Mom will be angry."

"Probably."

"And Grandpa is going to die of happiness when he sees you, Sam!" exclaimed his sister.

"Where is he?" he asked nervously.

"In the lounge, watching Ranger Walker, as always."

Mercedes chuckled, before Sam being dragged to what she assumed was the lounge by Sam.

"Nice to meet you, Mercedes!" she heard Stacy cry before leaving the room.

As his sister had said, his grandfather was sitting in front of the television, completely focused on his favourite show.

"Grandpa" Sam called him in a whisper, grabbing tightly onto Mercedes' hand.

The old man looked up slightly at his voice, and as fast as he could, sought the wheels of the wheelchair with his hands and turned towards where the sound came from.

"Sam?" The boy watched him from afar, watching the old man's eyes fill with tears. "You came, son."

Mercedes let go of his hand and Sam rushed toward him, kneeling in front of him and hugging him with all his might.

"Grandpa" he wailed, trying not to shed a single tear, while the man was stroking his hair blond.

"I've missed you, you ingrate!"

"Sorry Grandpa"

"Don't apologize, small stuff. And tell me, who is this pretty girl?"

Mercedes woke from the trance in which she was immersed. It had been so beautiful to witness the meeting between grandfather and grandson. To see the affection that existed between the two. The embrace was lovely and she suddenly was able to imagine how his childhood had been. Sam Evans had become a child again in the arms of his grandfather.

Sam left him, getting up to fetch her. He smiled and lacing his fingers with hers, introduced her.

"This is my girlfriend, grandfather. Her name is Mercedes Jones."

"Woah! Your girlfriend?"

Both nodded at the question.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Riley" Mercedes held out her free hand.

"I suppose you know my name is Sam also" he said, as he shook her hand.

"Yes"

"Samuel Riley. That's my name."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Riley."

"But I prefer that people use my first name, so to differentiate between him and me you can call me Samuel."

She tried to reply but her nerves got the better of her. The old man sensing her embarrassment, kept talking trying to gain her trust.

"And I'll get mad if you don't give me a hug like my grandson did, young lady. Come here"

Sam encouraged her to do so and she leaned forward to embrace him.

She didn't know why but suddenly she felt a sense of calm as she hugged him. Relief, peace. The same feelings that Sam Evans made her feel when he hugged her. Even in that sense, both grandfather and grandson were alike. They inspired tenderness and affection. They made her feel protected in their arms.

She felt safe in his embrace as she had felt safe all the times that Sam held her against him, protecting her. Protecting her from her fears and her nightmares. Even protecting her from herself.

Sam's grandmother had died when he was just a boy and Samuel Riley had never fallen in love again. He had lived alone since then with the love of his daughter and grandchildren.

Mercedes could not help feeling envious of the old man. She also had suffered the loss of her mother. But she did not have grandchildren or children to help her cope through her loss. She had never even known love. A love like Samuel Riley had professed for his wife throughout his whole life. A love that had not been forgotten over the years.

"Sam!" The cry of a woman startled her, and she pulled away quickly from the old man, getting up to watch a lady who she thought must be Sam's mother, clutch him in a hug so tight it left him almost breathless.

"Mom! You're choking me!" He complained, while hugging her back.

"Oh, honey!" Finally she let him go, to grab his face with both hands "You look so handsome! And how tall! And thin! Why are you so skinny? Aren't you eating? You are all skin and bones, baby!" she said, moving his face from side to side.

"Mom!" Sam again complained, rolling his eyes, while she finally let go.

"It doesn't matter. While you're here, you won't go hungry. Do you want me to make a dish of macaroni and cheese?"

"Maca ... macaroni and cheese?"

"It's your favorite dish, right?" His mother looked doubtful.

Sam tried not to look at Mercedes' reaction. Now he regretted having said that he hated cheese to excuse the reason why he had given up the sandwich to her that night they had spent in jail. Of course he did not hate cheese. As her mother had said, was his favourite dish. But he could not tell her the real reason he had given up the sandwich that night, because he himself did not want to admit it. Every time he thought of that night and everything they had been through his legs began to tremble and the fear of losing her, the fear of failing to protect her came to him again.

"Mom... That's Scott's favorite dish."

"Do not try to fool me, Sam Evans" said his mother, pointing a finger at him "I gave birth to the pair of you and I know you perfectly well."

At that time, Mercedes and Grandpa looked at each other, amused and burst into laughter.

"Who ... Who is this girl?" Asked Mary Evans, one hand on her heart "Oh honey! Did you bring a girl home?"

"'This is my girlfriend, mom. Mercedes Jones."

"Your girlfriend!" His mother screamed "Oh my God! Am I hearing right?" His mother asked, raising her eyes to the ceiling, causing Sam to blush even harder than he already was.

"Mom ..." he protested.

"This is my lucky day, Dad. I'm sure. My little boy finally has a girlfriend! Have you seen this? I'm going to play the lottery."

"'Mary, don't be rude and say hello properly." chastised her father.

"Oh!" Sam's mother blushed instantly just as her son had done seconds before "It's just that I am so happy. Forgive me dear. I'm Mary Evans, nice to meet you."

Mercedes shook the hand Mrs Evans held out to her quickly.

'Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Evans,' replied the girl with a smile.

"Mary" she told her.

"Mary" Mercedes said nervously.

"Have you seen this Dad? She's lovely."

"She is" said the old man. "My grandson is very lucky to have her at his side."

_I wish really had her, grandfather. _

"Did I hear girlfriend?"

They all turned to see who it was that was leaning on the doorframe.

"Scott!"Sam ran to where his brother was, as everyone looked on happily. "I've missed you!"

"I know'" said his older brother, hugging him with all his strength and taking advantage to whisper in his ear "I didn't know you had such good taste. What an ass ..." Sam pulled back from him punching him lightly in the stomach with his right fist.

"Oh shut up" His brother groaned and hugged him again, ruffling his hair.

"Glad to see you again, little brother. Don't waste time and introduce me. Or better yet, leave it. I'll do it for you."

The boy walked toward them, stopping in front of the alleged girlfriend of his brother.

"My name is Scott Evans, gorgeous. And I have to tell you that you've have chosen the wrong brother" he told her, leaving a kiss on her right hand.

Mercedes giggled nervously, watching as Sam was quick to separate him from her side.

"Scott ..." he grumbled, standing next to Mercedes and encircling her waist.

"It's ok Sam. I'm sure I chose well" Mercedes reassured him.

"For now" Scott replied mockingly. Earning a bump on the head from his mother.

"Stop talking nonsense and help your father with the wood. Asking Steve is like asking nobody to do it"

"Steve?"Sam said, surprised. As he watched as his brother was stroking his head where his mother had hit him.

"If I were you, I wouldn't call him Stevie again. He's seventeen." he reminded his brother.

"He was the last time I saw him. What has changed since then?" Asked Sam again.

"He's got a girlfriend too" laughed Scott, about to earn another slap from his mother.

"Oh! Why did you hit me?" he complained.

"You need to grow up and learn from your brothers. They have settled down, you can too. For now, go help your father with the wood."

Sam looked at his grandfather, trying not to burst into laughter. Mary Evans had not changed, she was the same as ever.

"We'll come with you, Scott. I want to see Dad and introduce him to Mercedes."

"Honey ..."called his mother, causing Sam to turn back to listen to her "You didn't us you were bringing Mercedes and we've only prepared your room."

"Mom, please. What's the problem? Do you think they've not slept together?"

"Scott! Go for the wood, right now!"

"As you wish" he answered, racing out of there.

Mary focused her eyes on the couple, waiting for their reply, but it was Samuel Riley who spoke at last.

"I see no problem with these two sleeping in the room that you prepared, Mary. They're adults. They're together."

"If you're ok with it, Dad then there's no problem" she said sincerely.

"Why wouldn't I be ok with it?" asked the old man, smiling at them and winking an eye at them. "Go say hello to your father"

Sam nodded without answering, and grabbed Mercedes' hand walking quickly out of the room.

However, she did not let him go outside, pulled his hand and made him turn towards her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"I thought we agreed to leave after dinner, Sam. I didn't want to say anything in front of your family but ... we had a deal."

"I know, okay. Sorry. Did you see? Did you see their faces? They really missed me as much as I missed them" he took a deep breath before speaking again "I couldn't say no. Sorry."

"I understand. I wouldn't have been able to refuse either" she confessed.

"Will you stay with me?" Sam waited for her response with a heavy heart.

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><p><em>And here's chapter this week. See you on the next if you liked, let me know in a review ^^<em>

_The title and the song are translated too. The original song is " Jamás podré aprender a olvidarme de ti " by La Guardia. _


	6. What my heart wants to say

_**Hello everyone! I do not know if you remember this fic, but here is finally the sixth chapter. I know I took a long time to update it. Many of you thought it would never happen, but here it is. To achieve this, I had to find a new translator and it took me a while to find her. Many thanks to Sonia, who translated this chapter. If all goes well, she will translate the entire story. Thanks to Anni too, who translated to us the first five chapters. **_

_**Today is my birthday-June 12th. I hope you like the chapter. Thank you very much for your reviews and asking for updates. Again, sorry for the wait. Kisses and hugs!**_

_As always, their thoughts are written in italic._

_**Edited on August-10th: Thank you very much for your reviews of chapter 6, it has been so long since I updated and still people did not forget the fic. Some of the reviews said it would be appropriate to look for a beta to correct grammatical errors and sentences that make no sense after translation. Sadhappygirl helped me find a beta and now, **__**her beta Jill is also the beta of Searching for a heart. Thank you very much, Jill. Thanks to everyone for making this dream come true.**_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just the truck. ;)<strong>

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><p><em><strong>What my heart wants to say:<strong>_

Sam nodded without answering, took Mercedes by the hand, and began running down the hall. However, she didn't let him go outside. Instead, she grabbed his hand and spun him around to make him look at her.

"What is happening?" he asked, in a worried tone.

"I thought we agreed to leave after dinner, Sam. I didn't want to say anything in front of your family, but… we had a deal".

"I know, okay. I'm sorry. Have you seen them? Did you see their faces? They miss me as I much as I miss them!" Sam took a deep breath, and kept on talking. "I couldn't say no. I'm sorry."

"I understand. I couldn't say no either," she admitted.

"Will you stay with me?" Sam waited for her response, silently praying she would say yes.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she said softly.

He gave a sigh of relief and interlaced his fingers with hers.

"Then, you won't mind us sharing my bed," he said jokingly.

She laughed. "I've been doing that for weeks, babe."

They both went outside and headed toward the shed. They came upon his father attempting to teach his youngest son how to split wood. Unfortunately, the son was a horrible pupil and preferred to pass the time by daydreaming.

"Here they come," said Scott. Mr. Evans laid the axe on the ground and ran toward his son.

"Sam!" He exclaimed as he rushed to hug him.

"It's great to see you, dad".

His father moved away from him to take a look at a nervous Mercedes.

"So this is the girl that stole my son's heart…" The man smiled, offered his hand and said, "I'm Dwight Evans. It's nice to meet you, Mercedes".

The girl looked at him, surprised because he already knew her name. Scott silently indicated to her that he was the one who told his dad.

"Nice to meet you, sir".

"Oh, please, the name is Dwight. Please use it".

She nodded and fixed her eyes on the boy that was now getting up off the floor, placing his phone in his pocket.

"You came back, Sam."

"I arrived a half hour ago. But I see you were too busy to come and say hello to me."

"That's not true," Stevie said sheepishly, embracing him. "I've missed you".

"I know." Sam moved away from him, but kept looking at him carefully. It hasn't been that long since he last saw him, but it was obvious that the guy had been exercising. He noticed his brother had bulked up. "Scott told me you have a girlfriend".

"He said the same about you."

Sam laughed, but noticed that Mercedes was still on edge.

"My girlfriend is prettier!" He shouted so everyone could hear.

"But you haven't seen Abby yet!" Stevie complained.

"It doesn't matter. Mercedes is prettier". The boy moved right to his brother's side and both of them walked toward Mercedes. "This is my little brother, Stevie".

"Hi, Stevie," Mercedes said gently and offered her hand.

"I'll grab it if you call me Steve!" The boy raised his hand, waiting for an answer.

"Done," she said, shaking his hand.

"You know that's not gonna work with me, right, little brother? I'll keep calling you Stevie."

The boy snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Admit you just want to be called Steve so you are not perceived as a kid," said Scott, which made everyone roar with laughter.

"What are we laughing at?" asked the guy who just entered the shed, taking them all by surprise.

"Dave! Where were you?" asked Mr. Evans.

"Ah… I was changing the straw in the barn."

"Liar," said Scott, not paying attention, "He was trying to flirt with your daughter, dad".

"Stacy?" Mr. Evans took a few steps closer to the newcomer, took him by his shoulder, and said, "I want you ten feet away from her, you understand?"

"Stacy?" the guy looked at him, scared. "I would never look at Stacy that way, Mr. Evans."

"My God, dad, Dave is 32 years old!" Steve remarked. "He meant Mary Ann."

"Mary Ann?" Mr. Evans looked at him, amazed, which made Dave bow his head in shame.

"Isn't it incredible? She is totally rude and embittered… but still here we have Dave, madly in love with her," Scott said with a chuckle.

"I had no idea you fancied Mary Ann," Dwight Evans admitted. He gave him a pat on the back and said, "I wish you lots of luck, son".

"It's what I always say," said Scott, walking toward them. "Dave, let me introduce you to my brother Sam and his girlfriend, Mercedes Jones. Guys, this is David McCain. He works for us on the farm. And before you ask… no, he has nothing to do with those McCain chips".

Mercedes chuckled while Sam and Dave exchanged pleasantries.

"Nice to meet you, David. I also wish you luck on your conquest".

"Thanks," he said, shaking her hand.

"Dad, why don't we invite David to dinner?" asked Scott, noticing how his friend was shaking Mercedes' hand.

"To dinner? The truth is…" David started to say.

"Come on, dad. Invite him to have dinner with us," Stevie echoed, "You don't want him to have dinner alone, do you?"

"You are more than welcome to join us," said Mr. Evans.

"I don't know if I should…"

"Why not? Of course you should. I want to see my sister all enraged when she sees you walking through the door with those boots full of mud," said Scott "and we don't accept no for an answer!".

"Alright," answered Dave. "Maybe I should go home and change my clothes… Can I leave a bit early, Mr. Evans?"

"Of course you can. Scott will do your work, right?" His father looked toward Scott.

"Only if Stevie helps me with it," he answered, making a puppy face while Mercedes contained one of her smirks.

Steve rolled his eyes watching as his older brother bent towards Mercedes and whispered something to her.

"If you come with me, I'll show how a real man works".

She answered with a polite smile and Sam didn't waste any time putting himself between the two of them.

"She can't right now, Scott. We also have to get ready for diner", he explained, grabbing Mercedes' hand and heading the opposite direction.

Mercedes was dragged out of the barn, barely saying goodbye. If she hadn't known better she would have thought Sam Evans was jealous. He really had no reason to be jealous, because she was only trying to be cordial to his family. She barely knew them, but you could see from afar that they all really understood each other. Sam really missed them all. She now understood why he couldn't stop talking about his family.

"I like your brother", she teased. "He's very nice".

"Yeah."

"Are you jealous?" Mercedes asked, making them stop in their tracks

"We are a couple, aren't we?"

"I don't understand", she said, looking confused.

"My family thinks we are a couple and my brother was making a pass at you. It's normal if I get jealous, isn't it?"

"Your brother wasn't making a pass at me," she answered.

"Wasn't he?"

"No!" Mercedes kept walking toward the back door of the house.

"Wait! Mercedes, please". The boy ran past Mercedes, and stopped when he was in front of her.

Mercedes sighed. "He might have been making a pass at me, yes. But, did I give cause for him to?"

Sam shook his head.

"Then don't act like a jealous boyfriend," she asked, searching for his hand in order to interlace their fingers.

Sam felt as if his heart stopped for a second. She was the one looking for his hand. She was the one interlacing their fingers. She was the one looking at him, smiling. She was the one making him feel stupid every time he looked at her smile.

Mercedes pulled him toward inside the house, and asked him how she should dress for dinner. They headed upstairs, where their room was already prepared.

"You have a bathroom in your room?" asked a surprised Mercedes. "Are you the Kardashians from Nashville or something?"

Sam laughed at the comment while dropping their things on the table in the corner of the room.

"Not even close!"

"You go first?"

"You go. Give me some time to reacquaint myself with my room".

"Okay", she answered, grabbing her things and going into the bathroom.

It wasn't long until Sam heard the sound of the water running. He tried not to imagine Mercedes completely naked in the shower while the drops of water kissed her body. He sighed deeply and flung on to his bed, like he did every time he came back home. That night, like every other night, he wouldn't be able to sleep. Since he left at the age of 18, he never felt comfortable there. As soon as he stepped in Nashville, Sam felt like he was caged and like they threw away the key that could grant him his freedom. With time, he had understood that it was his true fear of remaining alone. Coming back home and staying with his family was to admit his defeat. Admit that he would never find someone to share his life and start a family with. He used the truck as his major excuse. He became attached to it. He loved it more than the house where he had spent most of his life. He couldn't help but miss it every time he was away from it. Then he met her.

Mercedes Jones changed his life forever, even if he denied recognizing it. She made him give his truck up, just to keep her safe. Sam resigned himself to the possibility of losing it. At the moment, he didn't even hesitate. That time, when they were behind bars, he told Anna to take the truck. He told her that he couldn't put her in danger again in order to recover his stupid truck. That was his "Aha!" moment. He understood what really mattered.

His family was warm to the woman that they believed was his girlfriend. His feet were back on his home turf, and for the first time in a long time, he didn't want to run out of there. He earned one more night with her. It was one more night in which he could hold her and protect her from her nightmares. Thanks to his mom, they wouldn't have to say goodbye just yet. If only he could make this night last forever…

He knew that the next morning, everything would end. So far, they managed to postpone the inevitable. And now it would be even harder to separate from her. He didn't want to, he really didn't want to. He couldn't imagine his life without Mercedes Jones.

His eyes were slowly closing and when they opened, a beautiful angel was right in front of him.

"Sam… Wake up, come on!" Mercedes shook him for the zillionth time.

"Am I dreaming?"

"Don't be a fool," she said, pulling him up. "I need you to help me with my zipper".

"A zipper?" he asked while rubbing his eyes.

"Sam! Get up now! I need you to help me with the zipper on this dress."

"Okay, okay… You don't need to shout. I'm not to blame for you taking too long." She had already turned around, showing him her naked back and waiting for him to help her with the damn zipper. "I fell asleep waiting for you to come out".

She turned around again, holding her dress so it wouldn't fall from her shoulders.

"Ten minutes, Sam. I took ten minutes".

"Ten?" Sam opened his mouth, astonished.

"It's not weird that you fell asleep. You drove for a long time." She tried to apologize as she turned around one more time. "Are you going help me or not?"

Sam grabbed the zipper and fastened it quickly, trying not to touch her soft skin. He knew that at any moment if he did, he would kiss her. Damn! If she allowed him, he would already have that dress on the floor.

Mercedes turned around and noticed his intense gaze.

"Do you think it's too much?" she asked, afraid of hearing the answer.

"You're gorgeous".

_You are._

For the first time, Sam Evans let his filter disappear and said what he really thought. And for the first time, he didn't regret it. Mercedes looked at him, astonished, not knowing what to say.

"It's not too much, Mercedes. Really."

She nodded while he picked up his things and headed into the bathroom.

_You're gorgeous._ Those words echoed inside her head while she heard the water running. _You're gorgeous._

He said it to her. But… she didn't even have the time to do her hair, put on her high heels or jewelry. She simply got out of the shower and put on her dress. And yet, he told her she was gorgeous.

_You're gorgeous._

For God's sake! If just her mind stopped reminding her… If she could only run away from there… She had her opportunities, but she was stupid enough not to do it. She didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to. But every time she tried to get away from him she failed, and she did nothing but postpone the moment of their goodbye. At the moment she got away from him, she would be alone again. And she didn't want to feel alone again. That's the only reason why she didn't want to get away from him. Just for that.

_You're gorgeous._

Mercedes got up and pulled her comb out of her cosmetic bag. She started to furiously comb her hair in front of the closet's mirror. She didn't want to go back to being alone. That was the only reason.

She repeated that mentally again and again, so what Sam said to her wouldn't come back to her mind. So her mind wouldn't remind her how he embraced her every night when he thought she was asleep, even though she pretended she was in order to feel his strong arms surrounding her body, protecting her from her nightmares. Every day she thanked God for putting him in her way and every night she prayed for never having to get away from him. She didn't want to be left alone. She didn't want to be apart from him. Ever.

He had taken care of her, protected her. He hadn't even paid her for accompanying him during the trip, as he promised her. But when he finally did, was not going to accept his money. The clothes were already too much. She was wrong when she accepted them. Now she realized it, but it was too late.

Mercedes remembered the time when he tried to kiss her in the ice rink. She stopped him, despite having wished for it all along. She couldn't allow him to kiss her, at least not when she knew they would never meet again. A kiss between the two of them would've destroyed everything they had already accomplished. Every sweet and pure thing they had. A kiss she desired from the bottom of her heart.

_You're gorgeous._

The comb got tangled in one of the knots in her hair, making her scream from pain and helplessness. Her mind was playing a dirty trick on her. She didn't want to kiss him. She didn't want to. She didn't want to hug him either, or hold his hand while entangling his fingers with hers. She didn't want to dance with him nor sleep with him. She didn't want him to help her with the zipper of her dress just to feel his fingers running through her naked back. She didn't want any of that. But her mind didn't want to understand that.

_You're gorgeous._

"Shut up already!" she shouted, tired of hearing him in her mind.

"What's up, Mercedes?" Sam asked, worried, getting out of the bathroom. "Are you feeling okay?"

"No!"

Sam jumped backwards, scared.

"Well… Yes. Yes, I'm fine. It's just… Ah!" The comb got tangled again in her hair, making her rage again.

"Let me try," said Sam, grabbing the comb.

"No, Sam. There's no need. I can do it myself".

"Stand still," he said, guiding her to the bed. "Move a little".

"Anything else?" she teased. She closed her eyes and relished the feeling of how his fingers were caressing her neck.

"Nothing else," he answered, starting to untangle the knots in her hair with a softness that made her flounder.

Moments later, Sam gave her the comb back and got up from the bed, putting his jacket on.

"See? There. It wasn't that difficult," he said.

She helped him with his jacket, taking off one of the sleeves he already had on.

"It's harder to put the jacket on when it's backwards, but you managed to accomplish that!" Mercedes teased.

Sam looked at her, embarrassed.

"Do you know what my mother said?" she asked while he shook his head. "When someone puts on some clothes that are backwards, it means that someone is going to give a gift."

"A gift?"

"Uh-huh", she answered while properly helping him into his jacket.

Sam smiled at her, lifting his hands to caress hers, but he was interrupted by someone knocking at the door, ruining the moment.

"Come in," Sam said, watching Mercedes ease away from him.

His little sister slowly opened the door, poking her head in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sam".

Sam walked to the door to open it.

"You are never an interruption, Stace. What's up?"

"Mom sent me here to ask if you are both ready. David is here and the others are already in the living room."

"Give us a few minutes and we'll head downstairs," he said.

"Perfect." Stacy headed toward the door, paused, turned around and said, "You're very pretty, Mercedes".

"Thank you," she said softly.

"See?" said Sam, closing the door. "You're gorgeous".

Just when she thought she would never hear it again, Sam Evans surprised her. Nervous, she turned around to put the comb away. If she hadn't done that, Sam would have seen the dumb smile that was on her face.

"Ready?" he asked, offering his hand again.

"I guess."

With their fingers entwined, they headed to the living room, where everyone was waiting.

Mercedes was decked out in a beautiful dress and high heels. Sam was in jeans and a t-shirt, but with a jacket. Everyone looked at them flabbergasted when they got into the living room. Sam felt how Mercedes hand strongly squeezing his. She was nervous. He could feel it by the way she walked and by the strength of her hand squeezing his.

His thumb caressed hers, trying to calm her down, while his mother finally told everyone to take their seats. Samuel Riley and Sam's father took the main places on the table, while his mom, Stacy, Mary Ann and Stevie sat on one side, and left the other side to Scott, Dave, Mercedes and Sam. The dinner went by fine, until the awkward moment that Sam wished never had happened.

"Your parents must be missing you a lot, Mercedes. I couldn't imagine Thanksgiving without any of my children here by my side," Mrs. Evans, said sadly.

They all watched in silence as Mercedes left her fork on the table and put her hands together and began to play with her mother's ring. Sam saw her trying not to cry while she played with it. His right hand stopped her, grabbing her and leaning toward her to leave a comforting kiss on her cheek.

"What's wrong, honey? Did I say something wrong?" his mother asked, worried.

"Her mom passed away not long ago."

All the people who were sitting at that table bowed their heads, while Mrs. Evans tried to apologize.

"Oh… I'm so sorry, Mercedes. You and your father must be in pieces."

"Don't worry about my father," she responded, closing her eyes tightly. "He doesn't care. He abandoned my mother when he found out she was pregnant".

Sam noticed how she strongly she held on to his hand.

"I wouldn't speak again if I were you, mom," Scott said.

"Scott! Don't ever talk to your mom like that again!" Mr. Evans shouted at him.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Samuel Riley started to speak. "No one should be sorry. Mary was right to ask you. We just met you, Mercedes, and we know nothing about you, and we'd like to. For starters, I want to know what made my grandson's heart finally wake up. Even though I think I already know…" he said, winking at his favorite grandson, and seeing his sincere smile as a response.

The dinner went fine after that awkward moment. Some awkward moments of silence were quickly broken by Scott's jokes on the nonexistent romance between Dave and Mary Ann.

"Why don't you get a girlfriend, Scott? That way, you could leave us alone," his sister replied, irritated.

"You're right, sis. And I think I've found the right person," he said, winking at Mercedes, causing both Sam and Mercedes to snort at once, rolling their eyes.

"Scott ... I swear. If Sam doesn't punch you, I will," his mother said, tired of his insolence. "I know you're kidding, son, but sometimes your jokes go too far!"

"I'm sorry"

"You should apologize to them, Scott".

"I'm sorry, guys," he said again. He immediately began to laugh.

"He will never change," Sam told his mother. "He wouldn't be the Scott we know if he did".

Mercedes also joined in the laughter, causing all others to also join in. Her laughter was too contagious to go unnoticed.

"It's a relief that this makes you laugh, Mercedes. Any other girl would've probably run away from here without stopping to look back," said Mr. Evans.

"But Mercedes is not like the others, Dwight," Samuel Riley replied.

"No, she isn't!" Sam's father emphasized.

Mercedes saw how Sam smiled at his father, and at the bottom of her heart she wished his smile was really sincere.

...

After a while, Sam was helped his mother clear the table. Mercedes offered to help them, but Mary refused, asking all of them to leave her alone with her son.

"I missed you so much," she said, quickly leaving the plates on the table and hugging him full force. She couldn't help but burst into tears while he stroked her back.

"Me too, Mom."

They parted and she saw a hint of tears. He had left this house a boy and come home a man.

"You brought a girl to our house."

"Yes ma'am, I did." He reflected on all those times that his mother had asked him to.

"It's about time, son!"

"I know, Mom," he said, caressing her hands.

"Sam..." His mother took a deep breath before asking what she really wanted to know. "Is it serious, honey?"

_Oh, Mom. I don't want to lie. I'm afraid to leave her. I don't want to walk away from her. Not now..._

"Honey?" Her mother asked again.

"I guess, Mom."

Her mother sighed heavily, knowing she couldn't find out more than what he just said.

"I like her for you, Sam. I really like her".

_Me too, Mom. So much… it hurts._

Sam hugged her again, wanting to recover in that hug all the time he had been away from her. Mercedes no longer had her mother, and the knowledge that one day Sam might lose his scared him.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, honey. But don't make me cry, or I will get ugly and your father won't want me," she said, stroking his hair, as she hugged him with all her strength.

"You are beautiful. Dad could never stop loving you," he said, wiping one of her tears. "Do not cry, okay?"

She nodded as she looked for one of her tissues in her pocket.

"Why don't you sing a song to your grandfather like you do every year? I'm sure he'll love that".

"That's true".

"Tell Mary Ann to sing with you."

"Why?" Sam looked at her strangely.

"She loves to sing, Sam and... it hurts seeing her that way".

"How?" He wanted to know.

"Alone, honey. Your sister is alone like you were. And Dave wants her for real, I know. And I know he would be a good man for her. But she's afraid to admit that she really cares about him. I know my children; I know what they keep in their hearts. She loves Dave, son. As you love Mercedes. Sam looked at her carefully, while getting her last words.

_As you love Mercedes._

The kitchen's door opened and Stacy appeared in front of them again.

"Grandpa is asking for his song, Sam".

"I'm coming, Stace," her brother replied. "Tell Mary Ann I want her to sing with me".

"Mary Ann?" Stacy looked at him strangely.

"Honey, do as your brother said," their mother asked.

"Okay, but if she yells at me it will be your fault, "she said, turning to close the door.

"Thank you, Sam. Now go and make your grandfather smile."

Sam grabbed her by the hand to urge her along. "Only if you come with me. Leave the dishes; we'll wash them in the morning. This night is to have fun as a family, Mom." Mary complied and allowed Sam to escort her into the room. There, Mary Ann was waiting for him at the piano.

"Make it worth it, brother!"

"Do you trust me?" he asked, winking.

"No."

"That's what I thought," he said, leaning over to whisper in her ear what song he wanted to sing.

Mary Ann nodded, giving her approval. "Grandpa, this one is for you!"

Samuel Riley looked proud while they waited for the song to start. Mercedes looked on with interest.

Sam had told her that he sang, but she never thought he was actually serious about it. She was dying to hear him sing.

Sam started to sing, fixing his eyes on his grandfather, while the melody was beginning to sound.

_You're amazing_

_so amazing_

_have I told you_

_enough_

_you're my angel_

_guardian angel_

_god knows I've been blessed with love_

And his sister joined him.

_But if I been gone tomorrow_

_would you know how deep my loves goes_

_have I ever told you_

_you're the one_

And together they sang the chorus, while they saw how their mother started to cry, emotional.

_If the words don't come my way_

_hope it's still love_

_hope it still shows_

_if the words don't come my way_

_hope you still know what my heart wants to say_

Mary Ann got up from the piano, grabbing Sam's hand.

_Words so tender_

_I surrender_

_to this feeling_

_so true_

And he smiled, while singing.

_My affirmation_

_my inspiration_

_darling I have been blessed with you_

Together, they turned toward everyone while singing the chorus. Sam could not help but look at Mercedes. She was square in front of him, sitting next to his grandfather and looking at him while he was singing the song. In that moment, he knew the reason he had chosen that song. He needed to sing it; he had something to tell her.

_If the words don't come my way_

_hope it's still love_

_hope it still shows_

_if the words don't come my way_

_hope you still know what my heart wants to say_

Although the song was to his grandfather, he couldn't help but sing it to her. As far as he was concerned, Mercedes was the only one in the room listening to him singing and listening to his message.

_But if I be gone tomorrow_

_would you know how deep my loves goes_

_if I was gone forever_

_would you know how much I care_

_You make me feel like flying_

_and failing all emotion_

_that every time you look at me_

_you see it in my eyes_

Both siblings turned around again, facing each other as they sang while everyone watched.

_if the words don't come my way_

_I hope you still know_

_if the words don't come my way_

_I hope you still know_

_I hope it still shows_

_if the words don't come my way_

_I hope you still know_

_what my heart wants to say_

Something amazing happened at the end of the song. Mary Ann refused the hand of her younger brother and looked him up and down before embracing him tightly.

"It was worth it," she whispered. "Thank you, Sammy".

"I missed you, Mary Ann. Really."

"I missed you too, silly. If you make me cry, I swear I'll kill you. While you're sleeping, I'll grab a pillow and I'll suffocate you."

"I know you'd be very capable of that. Maybe you should let me go or they will think that our Mary Ann is becoming soft in her old age."

"That will never happen," she replied, separating from him and hitting him in the chest with her open palm.

"They sing like angels, right?" Samuel Riley asked Mercedes.

"Yes," she said, still staring at Sam.

"Why don't you sing something for us, Mercedes?" Scott suggested.

"Me?" Mercedes shook her head quickly.

"Come on... I bet you sing better than Mary Ann".

"No, no. Really."

"I want to hear you sing before I die," Samuel Riley begged. "And I refuse to be buried without doing so."

"For God's sake, Dad, don't say those things!" Mary said as she tried to wipe the tears still streaming down her cheeks. Hearing her father talking about death wasn't helping at all.

"You know you can't refuse a request from our grandpa, Mercedes," Scott said, excited to hear her.

"I guess not," she said, slowly getting up and standing in front of the piano.

"If you tell me what you're going to sing, maybe I could play the piano," Mary Ann said.

"_Total Eclipse of the Heart_ by Bonnie Tyler," Mercedes whispered.

"Oh my God!" Mary Evans exclaimed.

"Jesus," Stacy said.

"I am going to lose my pants, right? Scott asked. "I can feel it!"

"Oh you're gross," Stevie said, while Mary Ann rolled her eyes.

Sam took the chair that Mercedes had left. His grandfather leaned toward him, thanking him for the song and stroking his hair. He leaned over and whispered in Sam's ear.

"Thanks for and introducing us to her, son".

Mercedes started to sing, focusing her gaze on Sam, knowing that if she turned her gaze away from him, she would become self-conscious and make a huge blunder.

Mary Ann helped her with the chorus, watching Dave every time she said, "Turn around, bright eyes" hoping he would understand what she was trying to say so that he would finally leave her alone.

_TURN AROUND_

_Every now and then I get a little bit lonely_

_and you never come around._

_TURN AROUND_

_Every now and then I get a little bit tired_

_of listening to the sound of my tears_

_TURN AROUND_

_Every now and then I get a little bit nervous_

_that the best of all the years have gone by._

_TURN AROUND_

_Every now and then I get a little bit terrified_

_and then I see the look in your eyes._

_TURN AROUND, BRIGHT EYES_

_Every now and then I fall apart_

_TURN AROUND, BRIGHT EYES_

_Every now and then I fall apart_

_TURN AROUND_

_Every now and then I get a little bit restless_

_and I dream of something wild_

_TURN AROUND_

_Every now and then I get a little bit helpless_

_and I´m lying like a child in your arms._

_TURN AROUND_

_Every now and then I get a little bit angry_

_and I know I´ve got to get out and cry._

_TURN AROUND_

_Every now and then I get a little bit terrified_

_but then I see the look in your eyes._

_TURN AROUND, BRIGHT EYES_

_Every now and then I fall apart._

_TURN AROUND, BRIGHT EYES_

_Every now and then I fall apart._

Mercedes was still looking at him like there was no one else in the room accompanying them. He couldn't stop looking at her, even if he wanted to. She really sang like an angel. She was an angel, a beautiful angel singing just for him.

He didn't understand how he could have spent so much time with her without knowing the voice that was hidden inside of her.

_And I need you now tonight and I need you more than ever_

_and if you only hold me tight we´ll be holding on forever._

_And we´ll only be making it right ´cause we´ll never be wrong_

_together we can take it to the end of the line_

_Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time_

_I don´t know what to do and I´m always in the dark_

_We´re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks_

_I really need you tonight, forever´s gonna start tonight_

_Forever's gonna start tonight_

_Once upon a time I was falling in love but now I´m only falling apart_

_There´s nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart_

_Once upon a time there was light in my life_

_but now there´s only love in the dark._

_There´s nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart._

The words of the song had been anchored in his thoughts. As if she were afraid that that night could have ended for them. As if she really didn't want to leave his side.

_And I need you now tonight and I need you more than ever, and if you only hold me tight we'll be together forever._

He was fooling himself, believing that the song had something to do with them. He was fooling himself and he should stop if he didn't want to harm himself more than he already did. The night was coming to an end and the next morning, Mercedes Jones would walk away from his life forever.

_I don't want to lose you. Not now that I've found you._

"I told you! Has anyone seen my pants? I must have lost them during the chorus of the song," Scott declared, drawing the attention of Mercedes, causing her to finally break the eye contact with Sam.

"I lost mine much earlier," Dave said aloud, knowing that Mary Ann could hear him. He kept talking while keeping his gaze toward her. "I didn't know you could sing so well M... Mercedes."

Mary Ann snorted, getting up from her chair and left the room quickly. David was quick to do the same.

"Now is not a good time, Dave," Scott warned him.

"It's now or never. I'm tired, really tired, Scott".

His friend nodded, letting him go while the others praised the qualities of the beautiful voice of Mercedes Jones. Apart from him, no one seemed to have noticed that Mary Ann had left the party.

...

"You are jealous, _M.A._! Please, stop!" Dave shouted, walking into the kitchen behind her.

"Leave me alone, dammit. How many times do I have to say it?" In two seconds, the girl was trapped against the counter, with her hands behind her back, unable to move.

"Okay. That's what I wanted to hear, "he said, trying hard to keep his voice steady. "Listen to me very carefully, Mary Ann, because this is your last chance. You look for me when you want something, knowing that I can't reject you. It is because I love you, and you know this. However, I have my limits and I am at the breaking point. I don't want you to keep hurting me. Not anymore. I am done!"

"Dave…" She tried to pull away again. "I ... I can't."

"Why not? What's stopping you Mary Ann? I don't have much in the material sense to offer you, but I also know that you're all I need, and that I'm the only person that could make you happy. _M. A._ listen. Listen to my heart, can you feel it?" he asked as he released one of her hands and moved it to his chest. "It's beating for you. Why don't you want to hear it?"

By that time, they couldn't stop the tears from falling down their cheeks.

"Dave…"

"Tell me you want me."

She shook her head.

"Tell me you love me."

He stroked her face with his fingers, wiping her tears and kissing her cheeks, before stroking her lips and kissing her with all the love he felt for her.

"Tell me you love me, _M. A._," he begged, with his mouth still bonded to hers.

"I can't. Please don't ask me that." She gave a slight push, getting away from him and hurried out of the kitchen toward the stairs.

"You lost your final chance to be happy, Mary Ann! You also broke my heart in the process".

She looked at him one last time before turning around and going upstairs.

"It's over."

He went back into the living room, regained his composure and said goodbye to the others, telling them it was late and that he would see them the next day.

"Dave is right. It's late and we should all get some sleep," Grandpa said.

"You all go ahead, but we could stay a little longer, right, guys?" Scott asked Mercedes and Sam, while his mother looked at him angrily.

"Stevie, Stacy, help your grandfather," their mother ordered.

Sam offered to do it, but his grandfather refused.

"Don't you dare. Don't leave her alone with Scott".

"Okay, okay," Sam replied, trying not to laugh.

They all left the room. Mercedes excused herself to get a glass of water.

"I've scared her, right?" Scott asked, embarrassed.

"I don't think so."

"Sometimes I'm too stupid. But fuck, you know me; you know I can't help it".

"I know," Sam said, patting his back.

"I wanted to make a good impression," he said with a sigh.

"You did."

"You think so?"

Sam nodded.

"I never thought I would see you falling in love, brother. But after seeing her and seeing the way you look at each other, it is a done deal. I only wish I could find someone like that. There has to be someone out there for me, right?"

"I'm sure there are girls who are even crazier than you."

Scott went to the cabinet, opening it and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

"What are you doing?"

"Here. It's my wedding gift. My way to apologize".

"Stealing a bottle of mom's closet?"

"Exactly." Scott offered it again and Sam finally accepted.

"I have another little something for you. Since I haven't been able to use it, maybe it will be lucky for you!" He reached into his right pocket and asked his younger brother to extend his hand.

"Your gift is a condom?" Sam rolled his eyes. Of all the stupid things his brother had done, this took the cake.

"I give it to you with all my love and being the good brother you are, you are going to accept it," He said, smiling.

"I can't believe it."

"And now... Romeo, get up there and make your girlfriend happy".

His brother turned him, pushing him toward the stairs.

"Scott…"

"I said get up there."

...

When Sam finally arrived at his room, Mercedes had already taken off her dress and put on her pajamas.

"What's that you got there?" she asked, as she exited the bathroom. "Sam! What are you doing with a bottle of whiskey?"

"It's a gift, from Scott. It's his way to apologize."

"With a bottle of whiskey?" She sat on the bed, waiting for him to do the same.

"It's Scott... " he replied, shrugging.

"True... You're not thinking of opening it, right?"

"Why not? A drink won't hurt us. It's Thanksgiving".

"I don't think we should drink, Sam".

"Have you ever gotten drunk?" he asked, as he opened the bottle.

"Only once," Mercedes said as she sighed deeply. "The night my mother passed away."

_Oh, God. Crap, why I have to always ruin everything? Why?_

Sam closed the bottle again, leaving it on the nightstand.

"Sorry. You're right; I don't think we should drink".

"I bet you anything that we won't get to finish the bottle," she said, amused.

"I bet you anything we will."

"Well, I guess tomorrow morning we'll know who won", she said.

"Unless we finish the bottle; in that case, we'll know today," he reminded her.

Mercedes stretched her arm, touching his chest to get the bottle he'd left on the coffee table.

"You want to start first?"

"No, no. You go first, lady."

"Perfect," she said, and tipped up the bottle for the first drink of the night…

...

_So, what do you think? :)_

_Thank you all for reading!_


	7. The color of your skin

_Hi :) I'm here again, with a new chapter of the story and I hope you like it. ^.^ As I said in the last chapter, some of the reviews from chapter six said it would be appropriate to look for a beta to correct grammatical errors and sentences that make no sense after translation. Sadhappygirl helped me find a beta and now, her beta Jill is also the beta of Searching for a heart. Thank you very much, Jill. Sonia, thank you so much for translating the chapter! Thanks to everyone for making this dream come true. _

_Thank you very much for your reviews and asking for updates. Sorry for the wait and hope you like it. Kisses and hugs!_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just the truck. ;)<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 7: The color of your skin:<strong>_

_Waking up like yesterday, I'll try my luck again,_

_the color of your skin is what I want to know._

His fingers traced her neck, and then he attacked it with his mouth, making her melt completely. His lips were like fire and his hands drove her crazy while they were touching and caressing everywhere. She tried to breathe normally, but the kisses he was stealing wouldn't let her.

He rolled over on the bed, placing her on top so he could let her be the one in control as she kissed and caressed his abs while sliding her hand to his member. As she caressed it with her fingers, he released a moan. His hands stroked her butt, pulling her even closer to him. As he squeezed her butt hard, he stifled a moan, causing her to wake completely.

Mercedes opened her eyes at that moment. Her head hurt too much; it felt like a bomb about to explode. She blinked a few times, getting used to the light in the room and suppressing the urge to vomit.

"Ah."

"Oh God!"

What was she doing naked on top of Sam? What the hell was she doing caressing his...? God!

She wasn't dreaming. She wasn't! She was caressing Sam Evans's member and he was squeezing her butt! She was on him. On top of him! Completely naked!

The boy moaned again, with his eyes still closed. He then bit his lower lip.

Hadn't he woken yet? Was he still sleeping? Mercedes released his member, horrified. How had they come to such extremes? They were both naked. It was obvious that they had slept together.

They had slept together! God! She had slept with Sam!

She slept with him. She slept with him and she didn't even remember how they got to that point!

It couldn't be happening. It just could _not_ be happening that to her.

Mercedes shook her head, frightened. She was trying to separate from him and get out of that bed as soon as was possible. Of course, it was at the moment when Sam decided to wake up, his eyes wide open, staring at her.

Mercedes tried to get up quickly, resting her hands on his chest, her leg touching his excited member unintentionally.

"For God's sake," he said. And the next thing Sam Evans saw was a naked Mercedes, stumbling over her own feet and falling out of bed to the cold floor of the room.

He crawled to the edge of the bed and looked at her worriedly.

"Mercedes, are you okay?"

"Oh my God!" she yelled from the floor. "Don't look at me, Sam! I'm naked!" The girl unsuccessfully tried to cover herself. Her hands were too small, but she tried in vain.

"I've seen you before, Mercedes. Get up, come on." Sam offered his hand, but she refused to let him see her.

"No, no. Give me the bed sheet. Give it to me! And look away!"

"Get on the bed, Mercedes," Sam said, slurring his words.

"God, I can't believe we did it!" Mercedes shook her head, frightened. Her body was trembling and not because of the room's temperature. "It can't be."

"Believe it. You have the proof right in front of you," he answered, pointing at the condom they had apparently used.

"For God's sake!" Mercedes climbed to the bed quickly and began to pull the sheet to cover her, while uncovering Sam.

"Mercedes! Stop!" he cried, trying to snatch the bed sheet out of her hand.

"Let me, Sam! And cover yourself! I don't want to... see it."

"May I remind you that you were caressing "it" real fine a few minutes ago?"

"Well, forget it. Oh, please! Give me the bed sheet, already!"

"Hey! Calm down, okay? Listen to me," he said, covering her with a sheet and rubbing her arms trying to warm her. "We drank, yes. We had no control and slept together. But that's it. Okay?" Sam grabbed her face in his hands. "It was a momentary lapse of reason that will not happen again. Don't act like that, please" he pleaded.

"It's just… I don't remember anything," she lamented, closing her eyes and trying not to cry.

"Me neither," he said, stroking her right cheek with his thumb. "It might be for the best. Maybe our minds had a bit of mercy for us and blocked it."

Mercedes nodded.

"At least ... at least we took precautions." His voice trembled with each word he said, and so did his body, causing him to place his hands on her arms, attempting to heat her up again. The truth was he was cold too, but he had to put that aside for the moment, right?

"Oh, God. What if we did it more than once, Sam?" Both looked frightened, realizing what Mercedes just said.

"No, no. Don't think about that. We were too drunk for a second round," he said, placing a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I'm sorry I reacted that way. It wasn't your fault. It was me who wanted us to drink."

"Don't you dare blame yourself, okay? It's neither of our faults. It just happened. Forget it. Actually, you already have."

_And so do I. I can't believe I've had you in my arms and my mind completely blocked it. It's not fair! You were mine, beautiful, and I won't even remember that when you leave._

"I need to take a shower," she said. She started to get up with the blanket wrapped tightly around her.

"Mercedes..." he called her, stopping her and making her sit next to him. "Could you let me go first?" he asked, pointing to what he was hiding under the covers.

She nodded, covering herself with the blanket in order not to see him leave the bed they had shared. Sam took his dirty clothes from the floor, moved them to the chair, and got some clean clothes to wear after his shower.

Mercedes remained hidden under the blanket until she finally heard the bathroom door closing. Then she got under the covers again, hiding from everything and started to cry.

She never wanted to cry in front of him ever again. She broke that rule when she told him about her mother and she would be damned if she allowed it to happen again. She didn't want him to feel sorry for her. She didn't want or need his pity.

Pity was the reason he offered her money to travel with him. That was the reason he bought her clothes and everything she needed. That was the reason he brought her to Thanksgiving dinner.

Because he felt sorry for her.

_"Forget it!"_

His words came back to torture her mind.

_"Forget it"_

She didn't have to. Her mind had already taken care of it for her. It had already made the decision to remove the best memory she could have saved when she left him forever.

Mercedes curled up under the covers, covering herself completely and squeezing the bed sheet tightly between her fingers. She shivered. However, she didn't want to get up and get dressed; she didn't want to get out of that bed that smelled like him. She didn't want to leave, and she didn't want to leave Sam. She didn't want to get away from his hands, his arms, and his body.

Her tears were still wetting the pillow, a harsh reminder that she shouldn't keep crying. It reminder her that she would never see him again. It rudely reminded her that after so much time without being in the arms of a man, she allowed him to love her and her mind had completely blocked it.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't.

She prayed every day and every night. But what did she get with that? Her mother had died, she was alone and God had put Sam on her way, only to take him away later. It wasn't fair!

_"Forget it"_

He had forgotten. Sam already had. But she didn't want to forget. She wished she could remember that moment for the rest of her life. Being able to remember everything he had done for her, even if it was out of pity.

Where would she be if it hadn't been for him? Where would she be if she hadn't received his help?

She didn't want to think about it. She was afraid to do it!

She checked her watch, shaking.

Eleven o'clock.

It was too late. There was no turning back. There would be no miracles that they should do that they didn't have to say goodbye. Mercedes would have to say goodbye forever.

_Forever._

Her hands squeezed the pillow harder, hurting herself, as she tried to calm herself and stop crying. It was impossible; even biting her lower lip, she couldn't manage to silence the sobs that came out of her mouth.

The bed dipped for a second, before she felt a strong arm around her over the blankets, and a hand enveloping her head.

"Don't cry, Mercedes. Please," Sam begged, watching as the tears had completely drenched the pillow.

She fixed her eyes on him, ashamed of not being able to contain the tears.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry this happened. I know... I know it's been a long time since you..." Sam bit his lip, trying not to cry, too, although he didn't think he could do it, because all the tears he had in him had been combined with the drops of water in the shower.

He heard her crying while he was in the bathroom. She was crying because of him. It was his fault. He had taken advantage of her and he could never forgive himself. And Mercedes couldn't forget about it.

"It shouldn't have been like that," he lamented.

_It must have been special, magical._

"Sam, no..."

Mercedes wanted to shout that she wasn't crying about that. Didn't he understand? She didn't want to leave, she didn't want to leave him. She didn't want to! But Sam wouldn't let her talk. And she didn't have the courage to tell him the truth.

"I need to ask you a favor," he whispered. "If you ever think of me, when you're away, remember the good times we had together. Remember me because of them. Will you?" he asked, fixing his eyes on her and waiting for her reply.

"Sam…"

"I don't want you to remember me as the guy who took advantage of you, Mercedes," he said, refusing to look at her.

"You didn't take advantage of me! You got drunk because of me!" She yelled, getting up as fast as she could, though his body over the sheets made it nearly impossible.

"It doesn't matter," he said, getting up from the bed, so she could rise.

"It does! You don't have to ask me to remember the good times! Because I could never remember a bad one being by your side!" Mercedes sat on the bed, enveloping herself in the sheet.

"That's not true and you know it."

"You were always there for me," she said, lowering her voice, until it was almost a whisper. "Always. From the beginning. You took care of me and protected me. I could never forget it. I ... I will never forget."

"Then why were you crying?"

Why? He didn't understand anything. Mercedes stared at him, not knowing what to answer.

Would she be able to tell him she didn't want to leave him? That she didn't want to say goodbye? That she needed him to get by? Him. Just him.

No. She couldn't.

"I don't want to be alone," she finally said. "I'm afraid to be alone. Without my mother, I have no one by my side."

Without you, she wanted to say. But she wasn't strong enough to come clean. Or maybe she knew what his answer would be and she wasn't ready to hear it.

"Mercedes..." He knelt on the bed beside her, wiping her tears and approaching her.

"I don't want to be alone," she repeated, as he wrapped his arms around her.

And he didn't want her to be alone either. But he couldn't offer her anything to keep her by his side, despite how much Sam wanted it.

The goodbyes were imminent.

Sam didn't want to walk away from her and Mercedes didn't want to be alone. He had never thought she would be that up front with him again, but she was. She told him her biggest fear.

And he couldn't do anything about it. He had a life, a job, a family. He couldn't leave everything for someone who didn't want him. Someone who didn't love him. Someone who only feared being alone. It was crazy. A complete madness. But he would have done it without hesitation.

Mercedes hugged him with her little hands and the blanket slipped from her body, leaving part of her left breast exposed. She didn't realize it until he covered it again, receiving a grateful smile from her.

She leaned her head on his chest and he placed a soft kiss on her hair. Closing his eyes, they both knew this was their farewell. Both knew that the time had come. They both knew that there would be nothing else after that hug.

That was the reason why they refused to break it. That was the reason why they refused to remove their hands from each other's body.

Sam leaned back against the headboard of his bed. He pulled her over him, covering them with a blanket

"I'll miss you, _beautiful,"_ he said as he moved his hand to hold hers for the last time, as he felt a tear rolling down his cheek again.

He had called her beautiful. And he would never regret it.

"I'll miss you too," she replied, realizing it was the end.

He called her beautiful. Sam called her beautiful… Mercedes refused to open her eyes, trying to stop time even though she knew it was impossible.

A knock at the door made them come back to reality.

"Wait!" Sam cried, while Mercedes moved off of him to let get him out of bed.

He went to the door, opening it only a few inches to find out who was on the other side.

"Stacy, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

His sister pushed the door open and walked in, realizing that his girlfriend was still in bed.

"Sorry to bother you ... again," she told Mercedes, who now looked worried.

Sam made his sister turn so she stopped watching Mercedes and answered him.

"What happened, Stace?"

"Scott and Dave took Dad to the hospital. Mom went with them, too," his sister explained.

"The hospital?" he asked, looking at Mercedes and then his sister again. "What happened?"

"He fell down the fucking slope!"

"Oh, God!" Mercedes exclaimed, getting up from the bed quickly and grabbing her clothes from the suitcase to get into the bathroom.

"Was ... was he okay?" Sam said, watching as Mercedes left the bathroom door open to listen.

"Perfectly. Insulting everyone and giving orders as usual. I don't think that he has more than a sprain."

"Praise God," Sam heard himself say.

His sister grabbed his hand, which took him by surprise and made him look at her.

"Stay with us until Dad recovers, Sam. We need you. We can't do it alone," Stacy showed him her sad face, Puss in Boots' style. She was an expert in imitating it.

"Stacy, you know I can't. I have my job. Dad and Scott have theirs. That's the way it has always been."

"This is your home too. Your farm. We are your family and we need you, Sam. Please."

"I can't Stace. Don't ask me that."

The girl released his hand angrily. She never believed he could say no. The boy in front of her wasn't her brother. He wasn't.

"I will help you, Stacy" Mercedes said, already dressed and leaving the bathroom.

"You can't be serious," Sam looked at her, stunned.

"Your family needs our help. I don't know about you, but I won't leave without giving them a hand," she said, smiling at Stacy.

"Thank you, Mercedes," the girl said. "I hope you can convince him."

Stacy looked at her brother for the last time, hopeful, before giving a quick kiss to Mercedes, and exiting the room.

There was no way that Sam could hide his anger.

"Don't look at me like that, Sam," she warned.

"It's your way out," he snapped angrily. "You didn't want be alone, right? Congratulations, now you won't."

The words came out of his mouth as if he actually spat them in her face. And he really didn't know the damage they caused.

"That may be so. I may be grasping at straws. But you gave me everything and it's time for me to repay you. And if I can't repay you, at least I can help your family."

He looked at her, not knowing what to say.

"But you don't want me to stay, right?"

"I..."

"I told you that I didn't want to be alone and you didn't say anything, why don't you just admit it? You'd prefer to get rid of me!"

"No! That's not true!" Sam vehemently denied.

"Lies! You only tell lies! All the time!" Mercedes began to collect all her things, putting them in her suitcase.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to stop her.

"I'm leaving. That's what you want, even though you don't dare to say it."

"I don't want you to go," he said, pulling out some of the things she had put in her suitcase.

"And I don't want your pity," Mercedes pushed him aside, returning to put her things in the suitcase.

"My... My what?"

His pity? For God's sake, how could she keep believing that everything he did for her was because of that? He didn't feel sorry for her! Sam wanted her!

_Oh God, no._

Sam took the two steps that separated him from the wall and leaned over it, as he was about to fall. His legs gave out now that his mind shouted at him his true feelings towards her.

_I love her._

Mercedes was still gathering her things, putting them all in the suitcase, oblivious to all that was happening to him.

_I'm in love with her._

He was, yes. Like an idiot.

Stacy had given them the only reason for not being separated and Mercedes had accepted it right away, unlike him. Sadly, they were going to say goodbye that day. How could he say yes to Stacy while allowing Mercedes to go away being his girlfriend in front of everyone? It made no sense. He did the right thing by refusing, but Mercedes had accepted, hence forcing him not to leave and go on with the lie.

Mercedes angrily closed the suitcase, leaving him alone with his thoughts as she turned toward the door. Before getting there, Sam got in the way, trying to take the case out of her hand.

"Drop it!"

"You, drop it!" she screamed, as they struggled with the suitcase.

He finally managed to grab it, throwing it onto the bed. Mercedes turned her head in time to see her suitcase slam into the bed before it fell to the ground.

"You're an idiot," she seethed, pushing him aside to run for the door.

But he blocked the door and he didn't allow her to leave the room.

"I will not let you go."

"Get out of my way, Evans!" Mercedes grabbed his right hand in hers and began to pull him, without success.

"You gave your word to Stacy. You can't leave!" He pulled his own hand to free himself, and his arm hit the door in a painful way. "Fuck!"

"Sorry. Oh, God. Sam, are you okay?" She grabbed his arm carefully, rubbing it gently.

"And now both of us are injured" he joked. "You can't go."

"You don't want me to stay." Mercedes let go of his arm and walked toward her bag, which she grabbed and put on the chair. She then sat on the bed, hoping he would answered her.

"That's not true," said as he sat beside her on the bed.

"You told Stacy that you were not going to do it, Sam. If you'd said yes, I would've had to stay here as well. That's why you said no. Because you don't want me to stay."

"I want you to stay. It's just ... I thought you wouldn't want to go through with the charade. I don't want to hurt my family. I don't want them to discover that we lied to them."

"They won't discover it. I promise," she said, sounding as sincere as possible.

"You're not leaving?" he asked, with a sinking heart.

"I'm not leaving. You're right; I gave my word to Stacy. I can't back out on her."

"Good." Sam stood up, offering his hand to help her up. "You didn't take a shower, right? You can do it now while I finish gathering this up.

Mercedes smiled, opening the suitcase to grab her toiletries.

"And... Listen to me well, Mercedes Jones" he said, causing her to turn around, afraid of what he might say. "I could never feel sorry for you."

She tried to open her mouth to answer, but he repeated it again, emphasizing every word.

"Never."

An excited smile covered Mercedes' face, and he saw it before she could hide it from him.

"Shower, go" he demanded, trying to rush her. "We have a long day of work ahead."

She did as told, taking her things out of the suitcase and going back into the bathroom.

Sam watched as the door closed in front of him, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He looked at his reflection in the wardrobe mirror and he tried to say it out loud.

"I'm..."

He sighed, not saying what his heart wanted to say. He didn't dare to speak. Maybe he never had the courage to openly admit it.

"I'm..."

He went closer to the mirror, and noticed his green eyes. Those green eyes that had shed so many tears during those two weeks he had spent with her. Those green eyes that looked at her in love, which couldn't help loving her, wanting her. Those eyes that had been this close to seeing her exit his life forever.

She wanted to leave. She packed her suitcase in seconds and pushed him aside to get out of that room, of that house that imprisoned them both. It was in that moment when he finally realized their true feelings.

Pity.

She believed that he felt sorry for her. How wrong she was! Mercedes Jones hadn't been so wrong in her life.

He loved her.

Sam had fallen in love with her. Slowly, without realizing, Mercedes had entered gradually into his heart and stayed there. To make him happy when she smiled, to make him laugh every time she laughed. To make him give thanks to God for being alive every morning he woke up beside her.

He had been so close to losing her. As soon as his hand caught Mercedes' suitcase, he angrily thrown it on the bed, watching it land on the floor. He acted like an idiot, as she called him, but he would've done it again as many times as he deemed necessary. God, if he could have done it, he would've even thrown the suitcase out of the window, leaving her with nothing to put on, to force her to stay by his side. That would've been very stupid of him. However, it would have been worth it.

Sam laughed, picturing Mercedes' face as she saw her suitcase flying through the air and landing in the pond. She probably wouldn't talk to him again. He would've had to buy her a new suitcase with new clothing. The thought of having to go shopping with her again put a smile on his face.

His resentment toward her had been left behind. Sam had blamed her for quickly accepting the request of his sister. For a second, his pride had won. For a second, he had thought that she had agreed just to avoid being alone. His wounded pride had been present, and she hadn't denied it. He hurt her with his words, but she hadn't surrendered. She recognized that he was right, and told him she needed to somehow pay for everything he had done for her. She then reproached him for not having accepted first and shouted at him that he didn't want to stay with her. Everything because of his stupid pride. At that moment, he had been just about to lose her. At that moment he understood.

"I'm..."

Sam closed his eyes, walking away from the mirror. He opened them, seconds later and gathering the courage, he finally said.

"I'm in love."

He smiled like a fool in front of the mirror. Covering his face with both hands, amazed at how easy it had been.

"I love her."

Sure, he loved her, but she didn't feel the same way about him. His smile was quickly erased, remembering what had happened that morning. Last night they drank to the point of sleeping together and forgetting about it. He remembered the way she reacted and how he said anything like that would never happen again between them. It made something died in his heart. He was in love with her and he could never kiss her again. He could never touch her again, as he did the night before. He couldn't even keep those moments in his mind because he had forgotten them.

And now his family needed their help. And they agreed to stay, knowing what that meant. More lies. More bonding. More time together. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have to only act in front of his family, but in front of her.

"I'm ready" she said, as she opened the bathroom door, and she saw the room was still in the same condition. "Sam ... What have you been doing all this time?"

Sam pretended to be clueless, hoping she wouldn't ask again, and started to pick things up off the floor.

"Let me help you," she said, bending down beside him and grabbing one of the shirts, touching his fingers.

Sam got up quickly, grabbing the shirt and putting it on the chair.

"No need. I can do it myself," he said, noting the heat in his cheeks and ears.

"Are you okay? Your cheeks are very red." Her hand reached for his forehead to check his temperature. "Maybe you have a fever. Let me check. " She grabbed his face between her two hands and bent to kiss his forehead, but he didn't let her.

"I'm fine. I'm fine."

Mercedes held her hands up to let him back away. It took a few seconds to lower them again, as she saw how he quickly and nervously picked up the clothes left on the floor.

"Sam ... What happened?"

"I'm hungry," he said finally. "Can we go down for breakfast?"

"Okay."

She shrugged her shoulders while he was opening the door and quickly headed to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Samuel Riley was still there spending time with Stacy. They had been waiting for Sam and Mercedes to come down to breakfast.<p>

"So…?" Stacy asked his brother as she saw him coming through the door.

Sam came into the kitchen followed by Mercedes, and he headed toward his grandfather to shake his hand.

"It seems that God doesn't want me to be separated from you, Grandpa."

Stacy ran to hug him. Sam still had his back turned, so she just jumped over him, expecting him to give her a piggy back ride like when she was a child.

"Hey!" Sam complained, grabbing her hard so she didn't fall.

Mercedes and grandpa watched the scene that was unfolding in front of them. Sam had already begun to spin her and Stacy kept yelling in his ear that if he didn't stop, she would end up puking all over him.

"And I would've to shower again! Absolutely not!" He exclaimed.

He finally put her feet on the ground and she made them sit at the table, so she could give them cups of coffee.

"Will you stay for real?" she asked, as she took her seat at the table.

Sam looked at Mercedes before answering.

"Only until Dad recovers."

Samuel Riley winked at his granddaughter, letting her know how proud he was of her. And Stacy replied him with a smile, looking happy, as his brother would stay with them for the first time for a long time.

* * *

><p>"What do we do now?" Mercedes asked, once they finished breakfast headed to the farm.<p>

He stopped for a moment, staring at her. Then he answered honestly.

"I have no idea."

He tried to hold in a laugh, but the contagious laughter of Mercedes forced him to laugh, too.

"I can't believe it," she said, covering her mouth with her hand, trying to stop her scandalous laughter.

"What is it? I don't work here, remember? Why should I know?"

"I figured you'd remember. You spent eighteen years of your life here, right?"

He was silent for a few seconds.

"Well, yes. But everything has changed."

Stacy walked past him without stopping.

"It's about time!" she said.

"Wait, Stace. What are you going to do?" he asked as he ran after her.

"Me? Well..."

They looked at her, waiting for her answer.

"I'm going to open the door to the cattle so they can go to the pasture. What did you think I was going to do?"

Sam and Mercedes looked at each other as if a light bulb had been turned on in their heads.

"Just that," they both said at once.

Stacy laughed, turning her back at them and walking again.

"Are you coming or not?" she asked, not looking back.

They finally followed her, trying not to step on the puddles that were en route. It had rained the night before and there were lots of puddles.

"Mercedes... you can borrow my boots," Stacy offered, once they had reached the shed. "I do not know if they're your size, but at least your shoes won't get damaged. Sam, you can wear Scott's."

The smile on his face was quickly erased.

"Scott's?" Sam asked, trying not to express disgust.

"Come on. I'll tell Mary Ann to buy you new ones, but for now, this is what is available."

Reluctantly, they changed into the boots, grabbing fresh socks from the shed.

"At least the socks are new," Sam laughed.

Stacy was leaving again, when Sam stopped her.

"I'm missing something," he said, pointing towards his blond hair.

"You mean the Stetson?"

He nodded, while Mercedes looked at him doubtfully.

"The hat," Stacy said.

"The hat..."

Stacy rummaged through the bottom of the closet, and came up with a worn brown hat with a dark brown band around the brim. Sam quickly put it on his head, watching and raising eyebrows seductively.

"How do I look?" He asked.

"You look very handsome."

And he really did. He was wearing a blue and red plaid shirt over his white shirt, jeans and boots. The hat completed his look. He looked like a real cowboy.

"You lack the spurs" his sister laughed.

"Very funny, Stace."

"Come on. I've missed a day of school for this. Are you coming or not?" she repeated again.

"Let's go, let's go."

* * *

><p>"By the way, where is Mary Ann?" Sam asked, once he had already opened the paddock and filled their drinking troughs.<p>

"She went to town early. She doesn't know what happened to Dad yet."

"Shouldn't she be back by now? It's almost one p.m."

"Are you hungry?" Stacy laughed, as she accompanied them to the farm to explain what they should do next.

"I'm surprised that you asked," Mercedes said absently. "Your brother's always hungry."

"That's true." She opened the gate and let them get in. "Be careful where you step."

Both looked at the floor, trying not to step on any of the cow pies that were left from the night before.

"You have to remove the old straw and put in some new," she told her brother. "You remember this, right?"

Sam looked at her in disgust.

"That's why I went off with my truck," he said.

"I thought so." Stacy started to laugh and Mercedes couldn't help but do the same.

"I can do this," Mercedes said, grabbing the pitchfork that had been left in a corner and began to remove old hay.

"No way," he said, taking the tool, leaving her sister amazed. "I'll do it."

Despite the years he had stayed away from the farm, he remembered the chores.

"Why don't you help Stacy to get the food ready?" Sam asked, while wiping a drop of sweat running down his left cheek. "After all, Mary Ann hasn't come back yet."

"And you're hungry..." Mercedes finished the sentence for him.

"Exactly."

She looked at her, waiting for her approval.

"Sure. I could use some help," Stacy replied, walking away with his girlfriend. "Sam, after you're done here, remember to feed the horses."

"Of course," he said, returning to work.

"And…"

"What?" he asked, pausing again.

"Feed the chickens too."

"Okay, anything else?" He leaned on the handle of the pitchfork, waiting for her reply.

"The food for the chickens is in the sack next to the shed's locker. Give them just a tin, okay? Don't over do it like the last time."

"What did he do the last time?" Mercedes wanted to know.

"They died from over feeding."

"Jesus!" Mercedes exclaimed.

"It wasn't like that," he protested. "You were not even born, Stace. You don't know how it happened."

"Mary Ann told me."

"Sure... Mary Ann."

"So did Scott."

"I do not understand," Mercedes said, drawing his attention. "What happened, really?"

"It's simple, he didn't want Tiny Wing to be hungry," Stacy said, receiving a glare from his brother.

"Tiny Wing?"

"His little hen," the girl explained.

"Did you name a chicken Tiny Wing?" Mercedes tried not to burst out laughing, but it was impossible, seeing the scene.

"I was five," he protested.

"Oh my God..." She put her hand on her mouth to stop her laughter, but Stacy being at her side, only contributed to the peals of laughter.

"Don't laugh," he asked. "It died because of me. Well, not just her."

"I'm sorry" she said, approaching him and kissing him on the cheek.

"Don't be. Mom would've killed her anyway," the girl said.

"Stacy!" his brother shouted.

"What? It's the truth. Tiny Wing at least died happy. Her and all the others."

"That's right, Sam. You gave them a nice death," Mercedes said, as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Are you coming, Mercedes?" Stacy asked, opening the gate.

"Of course," she said, throwing a kiss in the air to her supposed boyfriend.

He received it and put it in your pocket under the watchful eye of her sister.

"Give them just a tin, Sam. Remember that."

"Yes, ma'am."

They closed the gates, leaving him alone and more lost than ever.

* * *

><p>By the time he finished feeding the horses, chickens and all the critters on the farm, his family was already waiting for him at the table. Well, almost everyone; the doctor ordered Sam's father to take a day of complete rest. Therefore, Scott and Steve led him to his room.<p>

"Finally! And this is the help we're going to get on the farm..." Mary Ann spoke, while everyone else at the table snorted. "Are all the chickens still alive?"

Sam didn't answer, he sat next to Mercedes and he reached out to grab the food platter. Macaroni and Cheese! Great!

It was hard enough having to act as if he didn't love her and it was tougher acting with his family so they believed he really did. He couldn't win. Right now he had to eat his favorite dish in front of her, when he made it clear to her that he hated cheese. Why does everything have to be so difficult?

"You smell disgusting," his sister said, holding his nose. "If I were you, Mercedes, I wouldn't get too close to him."

Sam opened his mouth in surprise, although he should've known better. That was her sister: sweet and sour at the same time. He never knew which personality she might have that day.

"He smells like a man," Mercedes said aloud, staring at her as if wanting to kill her, drawing the attention of everyone in there.

Sam's cheeks quickly turned red, causing his sister to tease him even more. He looked at Mercedes, who was now staring at him, and he wanted to get lost under the table where no one could find him. He had never been really good at pretending, but having to do it in front of his family when in fact he shouldn't, wasn't easy. For them, Mercedes was his girlfriend, so he should act like her boyfriend. Only he really wasn't, so he should pretend in front of her everything that she made him feel. He would end up going crazy!

"You're drooling, little brother."

"Mary Ann," her mother warned, "eat and be quiet."

Scott laughed, causing her to stomp him on his right foot.

"So much anger, Mary Ann! Last night didn't end well for you?" He was trying to get her riled up. However, he wasn't doing it out of meanness; he was simply trying to steer the talk about him to talk about her. He noticed how his brother went from the extreme pale skin to the supreme redness in two seconds, and that just showed him how much he needed her help.

"Scott, I swear to you..." his mother threatened, just as he thought she would.

"Can we have a normal meal? You know, like normal families?" Stacy asked.

"Us? Honey, that will never happen," his grandfather replied.

Mercedes and Sam looked at each other for a second, before they continued to taste the food on their plates. No one talked again over lunch. Everyone fell silent as if to prove to Samuel Riley how well-mannered they could be.

* * *

><p>After the meal, while Stacy was helping her mother clear the table and grandfather left them to see the Walker, Texas Ranger TV show in the dining room, Scott and Mary Ann went outside to discuss the evening chores.<p>

Dave was already there, cleaning the stables. Mary Ann walked past him on her way to the shed, without even stopping. He didn't look at her, they both knew where they stood with each other.

"You can cut the sexual tension with a knife, huh?" Scott asked Sam and Mercedes.

They looked scared for a few seconds. Wait... Who does he mean?

Scott seeing their faces, pointed toward Dave quickly.

"Dave and Mary Ann. Sexual tension ... You see?" he asked, clarifying things.

Sam and Mercedes looked at each other and then looked at him, trying to smile in reply.

"What's happening, guys? Rough night? The Hangover?" Scott couldn't stop laughing, and their confused looks didn't help much. "_The Hangover_" is a film," he explained.

Sam snorted, tired of hearing his voice.

"We know it's a movie, Scott. And we're fine, do not worry."

"It doesn't look that way, really. But hey, I better shut up, before Mom appears again and threatens to slap me. Let's go already, or Mary Ann will do it instead."

They made their way to the shed where they changed their shoes and Sam put on his Stetson. Mercedes tried not to laugh; she enjoyed seeing how happy he was when he put on his old hat. He didn't look like a guy who loved the road and hated the field.

"Where were you?" his sister asked, pissed.

"We were talking to your boyfriend," Scott said mockingly.

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"Hence your bad temper, sister" Scott stuck out his tongue, making her angry.

Sam stepped between them, preventing her sister from hitting him.

"Will you both stop? You both are acting like five year olds."

His brother relaxed, somewhat embarrassed, and quickly went on as if nothing happened.

"While we go through the meadows, you might familiarize yourself with the horses. You're going to need them to get from one place to another," Scott explained.

Mercedes looked at Sam and then back to his brother.

"Horses? Do we have to ride?"

Sam saw the terror in her eyes, causing him to move to her side and try to reassure her.

"Don't worry. It's not hard, really. I will show you," he said, touching her shoulder with his left hand.

Mercedes jumped back to escape from his touch and from the shock that she hadn't felt for a long time.

"What happened?" Scott asked, startled.

"Nothing. It's just ... he gave me a shock," she said.

Sam looked at her and then at his hand. It had been so long since they had sparks between them, that they forgot about them. And when they least expected it, they reemerged.

"Pure chemistry," they heard Mary Ann chime.

Everyone, including Scott, looked at her amazed. Mary Ann spoke and didn't say anything hurtful. Quite an achievement.

"Whatever," Scott said, pushing his sister aside. "Stay with the horses. You can ride the ones you want, except for Fury."

"Why?" Sam asked. He rode that horse many times without incident.

"Just don't," Mary Ann warned.

His siblings left them alone, finally and they made their way to the fence to view the animals.

"So are you going to teach me to ride?" Mercedes asked, mockingly.

"Does that question have a double meaning?"

"Very funny, Sam. I mean, I hope you know how to ride and it wasn't another one of your lies. Remember what happened at the skating rink."

He remembered perfectly. Both had fallen and he had tried to kiss her. As a result, she separated before he did, ending his hopes of kissing her one day. A dream that would never be real, as of that moment.

"I didn't know how to skate, I admit it. But I know how to ride. I really do, and I will soon show you."

"I'm scared," she whispered, following him to the door of the fence.

"Don't be."

They entered the pen, grabbing one of the saddles and headed to where the horses were.

"There you are," he said, quickly. "Mercedes, their names are Thunder, Fury and Lily. Thunder is the black you see there, it has white "socks".

Mercedes turned her head to see the horse he had pointed out drinking from the water trough.

"This is Lily. She is the youngest. She's a year and a half old, I think. And that one there is Fury."

The girl stared at the mare grazing peacefully in the middle of the pen. Apparently Sam's siblings gave them some hay and they wouldn't stop eating.

"Here we go," he said, turning to where Fury was.

"Where do you think you going?" she asked, running to his side to stop him.

"I'm riding."

"No. You're not," she answered, pulling on his shirt. In the process, she pulled the shirt off. "Oops. Sorry."

Mercedes dropped his shirt. He laid the saddle down and put on his shirt again, letting her see his back in the process. His fingers fought with the fabric for a few seconds, almost making her want to help him. But she didn't, and he ended up dressing himself and grabbing his saddle again.

"Sam! They told you not to ride Fury! She followed him, trying to reason with him, which was an impossible thing to do.

"I've done it thousands of times. Don't worry," he said nonchalantly.

"Sam! Don't!"

She tried to pull him back again, but this time she couldn't. Sam walked toward the mare with the saddle.

"For God's sake! Sam! You do not have to prove anything! Don't get on her!"

And he didn't.

The mare felt him trying to put the saddle on her and in response, she reared and caused Sam to lose his balance and fall in the puddle behind him. Fury neighed, getting down really close to Sam, almost stepping on him, and then ran away, bucking.

"Oh my God, Sam!" Mercedes quickly ducked, checking to see of he was okay.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he quickly said, embarrassed about what happened. He got on that mare a million times before; why did she choose that particular day to be stubborn?

"I told you to not to do it," Mercedes repeated, imitating his mother berating him as a kid.

"I know," he responded as he struggled to get out of the puddle. His pants were completely wet, but his shirt and boots remained dry. Unfortunately, he landed in the puddle butt first.

Mercedes tried not to laugh, but failed. She covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter, but the expression he had in his face didn't help matters.

"You are a wreck!" She couldn't hold back the laughter any longer, even though he was giving her a murderous look.

"Shut up and help me up," he asked, raising his hand toward her.

"Absolutely not. You are perfect right there," she huffed.

He was no longer wearing his hat. He lost it when he fell and the sun highlighted his hair.

"Don't be evil, Mercedes, I can't get up by myself" he asked again, pouting.

"Okay," she said, extending her hand.

Unfortunately for her, he was up to no good, and in two seconds, Mercedes was dragged down with him. She fell over him and felt the cold dirty water.

"Idiot!" she screamed right before he rolled her over and got her soaked.

Mercedes quickly struggled to get them out if the puddle, straddling him as she tried to get up. But Sam would not let her, he made them roll back and they ran into the fence.

They didn't know how it happened, and who the one to make the first move was, but their lips united, joining in an awkward kiss while they were still rolling on the dry grass beneath them.

Sam was on top of her, and the next second, she wound up on top. And so they went kissing and rolling in the hay until they finally collided with the water trough.

There she stopped, causing Sam to pull her against him with his strong arms for fear that she would let go, while their mouths were together. Gaining momentum, he rolled her in the opposite direction, to be above her, stopping the kiss and staring at her, trying to breathe normally. Mercedes watched as his hand was heading to her hair; apparently, a leaf of grass was stuck to it and Sam tried to get it out.

He brushed her tiny nose with the leaf of grass, tickling her and making her laugh at the same time and then he left it on their side, so he could see her laughing.

It was then when she grabbed his neck and pulled him to kiss him again. Sam didn't waste time. His hand drifted under her shirt.

However, Mercedes didn't let him. Her hands pushed him away, causing Sam to let out a grunt as a complaint, which he quickly forgot, when she allowed his tongue to finally meet hers. He played with her tongue and lips, until the oxygen was necessary for them. Then he stopped kissing her, and attacked her neck without delay. And her jaw. And her cheeks. And her nose.

But she wanted him to play again with her mouth, so she rolled him back, straddling him again and touching his lips and his tongue with hers, as he squeezed her butt and finally let her know how aroused he was.

"Are you having fun, lovebirds?"

They stopped and Mercedes jumped up, quickly trying to fix her hair and clothes. Without looking at any of them, ran out of there like a bat out of hell

Sam tried to get up, but Scott appeared in front of him, holding out his hand to help.

"Oh, brother. You look like shit," he said as he helped him up. "You need a cold shower... and not just to take that mud off."

Sam noticed the look his brother gave him. Of course he knew what he meant. Scott couldn't have come at a worse time.

"When I said that you could practice riding, you misinterpreted what I meant," he laughed.

"Shut up, Scott," Sam replied, trying not to kill him with his eyes. He turned around, ready to leave already.

"Sam..."

"What?!" he screamed, scaring his older brother for a second.

"You forgot your hat," Scott said him, taking it and giving it to him. "You can cover yourself with it," he said, winking.

Sam didn't respond. He grabbed his hat angrily, as if wanting to tear it off from his hands, and made a hasty retreat.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you so much for reading it and I hope you liked it. Let me know in a review. ^.^ <em>

_See you soon! Kisses and hugs_

_Syl_


	8. Let's Go

Hello everyone! I don't know if you remember this fic but here is finally the new chapter. I know it took me a long time to update the story and I want to apologize to you guys for that. I'm so sorry you had to wait almost a year for this chapter. This update is thanks to LunaSolTierra, who translated it and will help me translate the story if everything goes well. Thank you so much, LunaSolTierra I couldn't make it without you. (You guys have to go and read her fics because they're amazing!). Thanks to Anni as well, who translated to us the first five chapters and thanks to Sonia, who translated the sixth and the seventh.

Thanks to you guys as well for leaving those beautiful reviews. You don't know how much it means to me knowing you guys still remember the fic and want to keep reading it.

I'm not sure if you guys know that I'm also the Team Samcedes on twitter. I know I said this so many times but thank you guys so much for always be there and make me smile every day. You're amazing! Samcedes fandom is the best, never change guys! I'm so proud of you. And I know even if they don't come back for season 6 (they better be back or I'll throw RIB under the truck) the Samcedes fandom will never die. Not while our amazing writers keep writing for them the best fics and rps.

And that's it, I hope you like this chapter. Let me know in a review ^.^

_As always, their thoughts are written in italic._

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just the truck.<strong>

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter 8: Let's go<strong>_

_Without exchanging a word_

_We look at each other over and over again_

_you understood me_

_without knowing why, ohh without knowing why _

_how many times have I dreamed_

_of having someone like you_

_and to be able to fly _

_Without looking back, without looking back ohh_

_Let's go, let's go_

_Where no man has reached_

_let's go, let's go_

_I want to know you better._

* * *

><p>Mercedes ran towards the house, without stopping to answer Dave who was calling her. She opened the back door and ran up the stairs that led to the room she was sharing with Sam. Once there, she shut the door quickly and she leaned on it, finally quietly breathing.<p>

What had happened down there?

She had kissed him? Or had he kissed her? None of that mattered now. The damage was done and everything they had agreed upon had been erased with that kiss.

Mercedes touched her lips gently, closing her eyes, trying to remember how his lips felt whilst they were rolling around on the grass. How had she surrendered so easily to his kiss, to his touch? How could she? They had agreed that what happened the night before would never happen again. They had drunk, they had slept together, but the alcohol had erased their memories. They just had to keep going. Why they had to complicate things? Why had she kissed him and allowed him to kiss her back?

As much as she wanted to feel his lips against hers again, it couldn't happen again. Even though she was dying to feel him embracing her again and caressing her all over, as he kissed her cheeks, her nose and her jaw. She couldn't let that happen again. What would she get? Herself hurt? She couldn't, she just couldn't give in to all that Sam made her feel. If she did, she would become the new Anna.

_I don't want to be like her. I don't._

She had to get away from him. Tell him they made a mistake and it was wrong. It wouldn't happen again, she wouldn't allow it.

Touching her lips again, she finally opened her eyes.

She wouldn't feel his soft lips again; she wouldn't tremble under his touch anymore.

She took off her shirt, leaving it in the bathroom and grabbed a clean one from her suitcase. She did the same with the pants and in less than twenty minutes she was down the stairs again, going outside.

"Are you okay?" Dave asked, when she approached to apologize.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about earlier."

"Don't be." He answered, shrugging his shoulders. "I saw you were in a hurry."

They both smiled, staring at each other for a few seconds.

"Do you want me to teach you to ride?" He asked, kindly, leaving the axe on the floor. "Something tells me that with Sam you won't learn so much."

"Could you?" Mercedes' face brightened at the thought.

"Sure. I need to get away from here for a while." He said, slightly raising his hat and pointing it to Mary Ann, who was a few feet away talking to his brother Scott.

"Where is Sam?" Mercedes asked, not seeing him with his siblings.

"He ran behind you towards the house, I thought you would find him inside."

Mercedes shook her head. He could have followed her but she hadn't seen him.

"He wanted to ride on Fury." She said, as they walked toward the corral.

"That was stupid. Scott didn't warn him?"

"About what?" Mercedes asked worried.

"Fury is pregnant. And when that happens... well, she gets a little surly." Dave laughed, imagining Sam trying to ride the mare.

"Oh." Mercedes opened her mouth in astonishment. "So that's it?"

David nodded, opening the door of the corral.

"Don't worry though, Thunder is not like Fury." He said, winking and letting her enter first.

"God. I hope not." She replied, watching as the horse watched her curiously.

* * *

><p>Mary Ann was watching them from afar while she was arguing with Scott about the farm chores. Now that his father wasn't there to give them orders, both of them wanted to take control of the farm.<p>

"Stop looking at them." He told his sister, calling her attention.

"I'm not looking." Said Mary Ann haughtily.

"He's teaching her how to ride a horse, not asking her to marry him. Don't worry." Scott joked.

"They can elope for all I care."

Mary Ann turned around, annoyed, seeing as Sam arrived where they were.

"Who's going to elope?" He asked.

"Them." His sister replied, pointing to Mercedes and Dave. At that time, Mercedes was trying to climb on the horse without falling and Dave's hands were pushing her, helping her up, touching lightly her backside. Sam waited for her to turn around and reproached him about that as she had done to him many times, but she didn't. Mercedes only had smiled at the man, while she had accepted the ropes that he passed her over the animal's head.

"Ignore her, Sam. She's jealous." Scott spoke finally, looking at the face his two siblings had.

_Well, that makes two of us…_

Mercedes looked at Sam, as she held the reins tightly while riding Thunder. Dave was walking beside her, telling her what she should do and what not. They walked past the three siblings and Dave took off his hat waving it to Mary Ann as he put his right hand on the horse's hind leg.

"Bravo!" Scott screamed. "You're doing great, Mercedes!"

The girl smiled, fixing her eyes on Sam. Wishing to find out what he was thinking right now.

They went at least five more laps around the corral, allowing the horse to become accustomed to its new rider and then Dave finally allowed Mercedes to lead it.

Sam was watching in fear. Thunder wasn't like Fury, but one bad move and it would throw her to the ground as the mare had done to him.

She looked so beautiful. The sun had lost its strength and had started to set on the horizon but Mercedes had refused to dismount. For a second, she had reminded him of his mother when Sam was young and he and his father would watched Mary riding her horse towards the waterfall. Mercedes was showing the same smile now that her mother had whenever she rode one of her horses. His mother was born to live there, between meadows and animals, but not Mercedes. For a few seconds, Sam wished Mercedes resembled her and that they could stay there forever.

"Do you think you could make it go a little faster?" Dave asked.

"I could try." She said, urging Thunder with the reins for him to walk faster.

"It's getting late Mercedes." They heard Sam coming into the corral. "Can you continue teaching her tomorrow, Dave?"

The guy nodded, while Sam grabbed the horse by the reins and stopped it.

"Thank you." He said as Mercedes waited for him to move away to dismount. "I'll help you."

"I can do it by myself." She replied, getting off quickly. After all, to get down was easier than to climb up.

Dave left them alone, after dismounting the saddle and taking it with him.

"You've done very well." Sam said.

"It was a mistake." She said, quickly. "The kiss... It was... It was a mistake."

_No, it wasn't. It was the best thing that could have happened to me in a while._

"I know." He said, bowing his head.

"And it won't happen again." She told him, trying to find his eyes, but he didn't let her to see them.

"Yeah." He repeated. "It won't happen again."

And his voice sounded lamented.

Why? Why couldn't they kiss? Why couldn't they love? There was nothing in the world that Sam Evans wished more. He had touched the sky when he felt her lips on his. He had caressed her, had kissed her on the neck, nose, cheeks and he had thought he would die of happiness. It had been such a brief moment. Ephemeral. And it wouldn't happen again.

Sam stared at her, focusing his eyes on those lips that he had kissed. He couldn't take his eyes off them, he couldn't. Not after he had tasted them, not after having kissed them with his own. Mercedes looked away; trying to get him to do the same. If he kept staring at her that way, she would surrender to him. She would fall into his arms and she would let him kiss her again to make her completely forget what they were doing still there.

"I don't need your help. I can do it myself."

Sam and Mercedes turned around to see Mary Ann asking Dave for the umpteenth time to leave her alone.

Dave gripped the last bale of straw that Mary Ann was trying to put in the tractor and did it himself.

"Calm down. I just don't want you to break your back trying to lift it. We don't need another injured in your family. We need all the hands we can get." He said, spitting the words.

"I thought..." Mary Ann tried to speak, but he wouldn't let her.

"Did you think I would help you because I am a gentleman? No, Mary Ann. I'm not." He said, straightening his hat on his head, climbing on the tractor and leaving from there.

Mary Ann looked to her brother and his girlfriend. God, she felt like a fool. Dave didn't intend to help; he just wanted to finish quickly so he could get out of there. He couldn't stand having her around. This is what they've gotten to? She turned on her feet and entered the shed quickly before her brother saw how wrong she was.

But Mercedes soon joined her. She had followed her there and now she was staring at her as Mary Ann was taking off her boots.

"Why you treat him that way, Mary Ann? You know you like him."

"You know nothing about me." The blonde said.

Mercedes shook her head, trying to hold in a laugh she felt at that moment.

"It will be funny to see how you fall..."

"It will be more fun to see how your lie is discovered." Mary Ann replied.

"What are you talking about?"

Mercedes got scared for a moment. Has his sister heard them? Did she know that they were only pretending?

"You're not his girlfriend." Mary Ann laughed. "Really, nobody believes it. But they never would say otherwise. He is Grandpa's favorite grandson."

"I don't understand..."

"What don't you understand?" The blonde got up from the chair, being taller than Mercedes.

"Why didn't you believe us? Is it because I'm not white?"

"Don't be silly, please. I don't care if you're white, black, red or green. He's my brother and I know him better than he thinks. He's like me, Mercedes. A lonely person. Sam is not attached to anyone, not even you. You would do well to get away before he breaks your heart."

The honesty of Mary Ann took her by surprise.

"Like you did with Dave?" She asked, attacking her where she knew it would hurt.

"Exactly... Take my advice and get out of here as soon as you can." She said, opening the door of the shed and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Get out of there? Leave Sam alone now that all his family needed him? No, she could never do that.

She had told him she would be by his side, they would continue with their lie. No one would find out.

She wouldn't let Mary Ann get away with this, if she didn't want to see her with her brother it was her problem, because Mercedes wasn't going to leave him. Not as long as he needed her.

She owed him so much... Got her out of that bar, kept her safe during those weeks they had spent together. Made her smile, watched her sleep, wanting to erase her nightmares forever.

No.

Mercedes wasn't going to leave him.

_Take my advice and get out of here as soon as you can._

Sam could never break her heart. She wouldn't allow him. He couldn't do it if she was going to build a big barrier between them.

_You're not his girlfriend. Nobody believes it._

She didn't care if Mary Ann believed it or not. But she wouldn't let Sam's family doubt him. Not if she could prevent that from happening.

* * *

><p>Sam ran towards the shed, once Mercedes had changed her boots and had already left to the house.<p>

Why does everything have to be so complicated? He had kissed her. She had allowed him to kiss her, but a few hours later, Mercedes had built the largest barrier between them yet, destroying his hopes and dreams. The night before they slept together, but they couldn't remember. He had said that it wouldn't happen again, but both had fallen back. What was happening between them? Attraction? Lust? Love? What was it that made them lose their minds for a few seconds and give in to each other?

Sam knew what it was that made him want her. Late, too late, he had understood his true feelings for her. He loved her. He was in love with her. And the kisses they had shared that afternoon had been led him to believe that she could feel the same. But it wasn't. Sam was completely wrong.

Mercedes didn't love him.

Mercedes didn't tremble like he did every time they held hands. She didn't look at him the same way he did her when she wasn't looking. Mercedes didn't dream like he did about making love to her slowly.

Mercedes didn't love him.

Not like he loved her. And the sooner he accepted that, the less he would suffer.

Why did it have to be like that? Why had he fallen for her and not for Anna? She really loved him, adored him and Anna made him laugh. Why he couldn't fall in love with her?

_Because, Anna isn't you, Beautiful._

Anna didn't make him smile and the next minute made him want to kill her. Anna didn't arouse in him that protective instinct that he had whenever Mercedes was in danger. God, Mercedes had caused him to go into the Rouge Bar after so many years. He got beaten and almost killed, just to get her out of there. Sam could have died there and he wouldn't have cared. He hadn't even thought about his family. He hadn't thought about what his grandfather would say if that happened. His mother could have died of sadness. But in that moment, Sam could only think of her and getting her out of that dangerous place. They had been arrested. He had gone to jail for the first time and he had never been so happy he did. They had been released and he had asked her to travel with him. Had bought a suitcase full of clothes and they had shared his bed, protecting her from the nightmares that assaulted her every night. He would never have done that for Anna. He couldn't and he knew it. Now he understood that it was his love for her what had driven him to this. Now he understood how his grandfather felt in his loneliness, how his father felt every time he saw his mother laughing or crying.

Love

Simply love.

Unrequited love.

He remembered his talk with his grandfather as a child. Now he finally knew what love was.

_"Do you think someday I'll find a girl who loves me as much as Grandma loves you?" He had asked him when he was nine._

_"Sam, you should never demand that someone loves you. You should be the first to show what you feel." His grandpa has replied while the boy had looked at him amazed._

_"'What's it like to love someone Pop?" The man had smiled ruffling his hair._

_"When you find that someone, you'll know little one."_

His grandfather had been right. Sam had no right to demand anything. He couldn't and he wouldn't. He would continue protecting her and caring for her. He would keep loving her and silently watching her laugh. Her laughter was all she could offer to him, and that was more than enough.

Nothing else mattered to him. He had reached a point where Mercedes' happiness was his own, his engine to move forward. She would never fall in love with him, even though he wished it with all his heart. But he would keep trying to make her happy. Making her smile, laugh, making her forget everything what was hurting her. Her nightmares, her father, the death of her mother... He would make her forget everything that was erasing her beautiful smile.

_You'll never love me, Beautiful. But I won't stop searching your smile._

"Are you crying?" His brother Scott asked, entering the shed.

Sam was pulling off his boots; he didn't even notice his bare foot touch the cold floor.

"Me? No. Of course not. I think... I think I got something in the eye." He said, taking one of his hands to his right eye and starting to rub it.

"Of course..." Scott pulled a chair and sat next to him. "Listen, Sam. I wanted to apologize about what happened earlier. I laughed at you and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"When?" Sam was still lost. He didn't know what he meant.

"When I caught you two kissing in the corral." He reminded him.

He had been thinking of that kiss for so long that he couldn't even remember who had put an end to it.

"Ah." Sam nodded, putting the right sock.

"I'm sorry, man. I shouldn't have interrupted."

_Yes, you should. If you had not come, I would have made love to her right there._

"Sam... Are you okay?" Scott asked concerned when his brother didn't answer.

"Yes… I just... I'm a little tired, Scott."

"Why don't you go and take a shower? Dinner should be almost ready."

"Thanks." He said, finishing tying his shoelaces. "I will." He adjusted his hat again and went out, leaving him alone.

Scott couldn't understand. Hours before, he had caught them kissing madly on the grass of the corral, devouring each other, as if nothing else mattered, and they didn't care if they were discovered. And now, a few hours later, his brother was crying in the shed.

He had never seen him crying since the funeral of his grandmother. Sam didn't cry, never did. Maybe... maybe things were not so good between them. What was it that happened between the kissing session he had witnessed and his brother's tears?

Scott tied the laces of his shoes strongly and left aside his boots. He had to do something to make Mercedes stay in their lives. She was the only girl who had managed to steal the heart of his brother. Sam was happy with her, he was smiling. For the first time, he wasn't running out the door as soon as he came home. And Mercedes was the only reason. Scott would do anything to make them stay.

* * *

><p>All of them were sitting around the table when Scott came down the stairs after his shower.<p>

"Why did it take you so long? The food is almost cold." Mary Ann reproached him, as he took his place at the table.

"You could have started without me."

They looked at him, moody, while Scott was filling his plate with food.

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"It's your turn to say grace." Stacy replied, crossing her hands and bowing her head slightly.

"Oh! That's it!" Scott shrugged and said quickly. "God bless the food we are about to swallow. Amen. Steve, can you pass me the potatoes?"

His mother looked at him disappointed. Why did he have to joke all the time? Couldn't he really thank God for all they had? His father had a sprain and he was resting up in bed, unable to get down to eat with them. Something worse could have happened but it didn't; so now everyone should collaborate in the farm in order to keep it running.

Sam had returned home and he had brought a lovely girl with him. The whole family was together now. Why Scott couldn't thank God for that?

Mary fixed her eyes on Sam. The boy was distracted, stirring the food of his plate hardly eating anything. Was he angry with Mercedes? Maybe he was worried about his father. She then looked at Mercedes, who was rejecting his son's look. Definitely, something bad had happened.

"What happened to you guys? Are you angry?" She asked, drawing their attention. She shouldn't interfere, but she couldn't help it. He was her son and she missed him.

"Mary, don't be nosy." Her father scolded her.

"Dad, worrying about my son is not being nosy."

With his mouth full, Scott took the opportunity to speak.

"Well... They have had an intense encounter in the mud." Scott said, watching Sam and Mercedes watched him wanting to kill him. Scott shrugged in response and got even a bigger bite of his food.

"Oh, honey. Why did you have a fight?"

Sam and Mercedes looked each other and then watched as Scott tried to hold his laughter.

"You shouldn't fight, son. Kiss her." Mrs. Evans asked.

Kiss her?

_No, mom. Don't do this to me. I can't kiss her again, I can't._

"Mom... Leave him alone." Mary Ann protested.

"Pleased your mother, Sam." His grandfather asked.

He couldn't refuse. Not now that his grandfather had also asked him. He could never refuse him anything he asked. But a kiss would complicate everything between them.

Mercedes was now looking at him expectantly.

He took courage and approached her slowly to give her a soft kiss on her right cheek. She smiled in thanks and returned to hold a fork with her hand, but Mrs. Evans returned to get her attention.

"Your turn, Mercedes. Kiss him."

The girl returned to leave the fork on her plate and did the same as her supposed boyfriend. She approached him, to kiss him on the cheek too.

"If these two are a couple, I'm a nun." Mary Ann said.

Mercedes looked at her, wanting to kill her. Mary Ann was doing what she had said that afternoon. She was beginning to sow distrust in his family, trying to discover their lie. It wasn't fair. Why was she determined to hurt her brother? He just wanted his family to accept him and support him. If they found that everything was a lie, his grandfather would never speak to him and his mother would die of sadness. Mercedes wasn't going to let that happen.

After watching Mary Ann, Mercedes attacked those lips who had wanted to kiss again that afternoon. Taking him by surprise, causing the fork he held in his left hand fell to the ground. And as she kissed him softly, her hands caressing his face and ears.

Sam hadn't moved his hands even an inch, although he wanted to touch her as she was doing, his fingers was clutching tightly to the chair, not allowing him to realize his dreams.

They were kissing in front of everyone at the table, in front of his grandfather watching them funny while eating his filet of beef. In front of Steve and Stacy looking at each other holding their laughter. In front of his mother who tried to hold back tear and in front of Scott who was pricking Mary Ann with a fork so she didn't cease to see the scene that was happening right under their noses.

Finally, Sam's hands left the chair, and gently stroked her neck, trying to separate her from him. He needed to breathe, despite knowing that she would never kiss him again. He needed to breathe and realize that everything that he had lived wasn't a dream.

Their lips parted, but not their faces. They rested their foreheads against each other, closing their eyes for a few seconds. Opening them slowly, he lowered his hands from her neck and stroked it.

Sam wished he had a time machine to find out what would happen from that moment on.

When he had thought Mercedes would never let him kiss her again, it was she who had done it again. It was obvious that she had coerced by Mary Ann, but none of that mattered. Mercedes had kissed him again and now she was giving him that smile he fell in love with.

"So you're a nun, Mary Ann?" Scott teased her.

"Oh, shut up!" She said, kicking him under the table.

He complained loudly and reached for the extra silverware on the table. Stacy had set the table and had forgotten that her father wouldn't be down for dinner. Scott grabbed the fork his father would have used and passed it to Sam so he wouldn't have to retrieve the one that had fallen to the ground.

Sam accepted it willingly while his brother winked at him. That afternoon, Scott had discovered them, causing Mercedes to stop their kiss and run, and now it was he who had gotten her to kiss him again. Maybe his mother and Mary Ann had also been doing their part, but what they did not know was that what happened that evening had nothing to do with a lovers' quarrel.

Still with the fork in his hand, Sam couldn't eat anything. Not after that kiss they had shared. Not after having felt her soft lips in contact with his again. He looked at her, and noticed how Mercedes was pushing her food around her plate too. His green eyes couldn't stop looking at her, worried. He knew that after what had happened, she would regret it again. Within minutes, the meal would end and she would say once again "It will not happen again."

However, at that moment Mercedes did something that surprised him. She put the fork on her plate and slid her right hand on the tablecloth, to reach his hand. She gently stroked his fingers, causing tickling and electric shocks that woke his nerve endings. But she did not look at him, she did not move an inch of her face. And as soon as she did she released his hand.

Did Sam imagine it?

He had to eat something or he would end up going crazy.

No, he was completely sure. She had reached for his hand and stroked his fingers, he had not imagined it. Mercedes had smiled at him after kissing him, had grazed his hand affectionately. It was she who had done it!

With a smile on his face, Sam gripped the fork and finally swallowed the first bite of the night.

* * *

><p>Later, they all rose from the table.<p>

"Today is Mary Ann's turn to wash the dishes." Stacy said, climbing the stairs quickly.

"Don't run, Stace! You and Steve take your Grandpa to bed." Her mother asked.

A few steps down the stairs his brother stopped her.

"I'll help Stevie. You go to your room." Sam said, winking.

"Okay." She said, giving him a smile and a goodnight kiss, before running to her room.

"It's Steve." He reminded his brother.

Sam laughed, shaking his head. As much as he tried, Stevie would never get him stop calling him that.

He gave her a glance, before pushing his grandfather's wheel chair to his room on the floor below. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew he was doing this, as an excuse not to go up to the room with her. He was hoping that when he finally entered the room they shared, Mercedes would be asleep. He couldn't look at her and feel her rejection again. It hurt him, again and again.

Stevie and Sam helped their grandfather get up from the chair and put on his pajamas, taking him to the bathroom and waiting for him to brush his teeth, before carefully laying him on his bed, giving him a goodnight kiss.

"Good night, Grandpa." Steve said, turning to walk out the door. "Sleep well."

"Good night, Stevie." Said the old man, winking at Sam.

Steve snorted at that, and the door closed behind him, wondering if one day, both would stop calling him that.

"What is it?" Asked Sam, seeing as his grandfather did not stop staring at him.

"I was wondering what you are doing here, rather than being with your girlfriend. Is everything alright, Sam?"

"Yes, of course. Everything is alright, grandpa." He said, pulling up a chair and sitting in it next to the bed.

"Then I don't know what you still doing here, son."

"Talking to you."

"Talking to me?" The old man raised an eyebrow, doubtful. "Talk... okay. Let's talk about Mercedes."

The boy turned pale at that. He should get out of there as soon as possible, before his grandfather got him to open his big mouth and tell him the whole truth.

"I should let you rest, Grandpa. You're right, Mercedes should be waiting for me." Sam said, rising from his chair. He could keep his sister company, while washing the dishes. Yes, he would.

"Stop right there." Demanded his grandfather.

Sam froze in the middle of the room. Slowly he turned, looking into his grandfather's eyes, those same eyes he and his mother have.

"Sit down." He said.

Sam did as the old man said, afraid. He did not know and he feared how this was going to end.

"I'm not stupid, son. I know you both are not a couple."

"What?" Sam tried not to stutter. "Of course we are, Grandpa."

"Don't try to fool me, Sam. I wasn't born yesterday."

"We aren't." Said his grandson, ducking his head.

"But you love her." Said Samuel Riley.

"I love her." He answered, he didn't yet have enough courage to face his grandfather.

"Then fight for her son. Don't let her go. I lost your grandmother and I wouldn't want that to happen to you as well."

"But... She doesn't love me, Grandpa." He said, lifting his head slowly and looking at him finally.

"Yes she does, son. She just doesn't know it yet. Go upstairs, be with her. Don't leave her side. Don't be afraid to suffer for love, because the reward will be worth it."

Sam nodded, rising from his chair again.

"I know she's the one for you, son. I knew it from the moment her fingers brush your hand at dinner. I knew it when I heard her sing that song for you the other night, when she looked at you and gave you that smile. It was for you, Sam. Make her be aware of it. Don't let her go."

"I love you, Grandpa. You don't know how I missed you." Sam approached him, hugging him tightly.

"I love you too, champ." He said lovingly, as he ruffled his hair as he did when he was a child. "Now go, and don't stop along the way."

Sam smiled at him, kissing him on the cheek and saying good night.

His grandfather was right; he should go up and face the situation. She would reject him again, Sam was completely sure about that, but he wasn't afraid to suffer.

A sense of peace resided within him now. His grandfather knew the truth already and he wasn't resentful about the deception. Nothing else should matter. He would go up and for the umpteenth time he would hear her rejecting him.

He climbed the stairs slowly. A part of him wished that she was already asleep when he went in. The other part was praying to God that she had not gone to bed yet.

He opened the door carefully, not knowing if she would be in bed and closed it slowly, being aware of the darkness that was in the room.

"Mercedes?" He whispered, trying to see something, but failed.

He fumbled for the light switch, but a hand stopped him, preventing him from doing so. While another hand pulled him forward and stroked his face lovingly.

"Mer...?"

Sam couldn't finish his sentence, because the girl without delay attacked his lips, taking him by surprise. Devouring and impeding him from breathe normally.

What was happening? Was she kissing him? Mercedes was kissing him!

And there was no one watching that time. They were in his room, with the lights off and she was kissing him passionately. She was kissing him. No one around. Without anybody seeing them.

Sam gave into the kiss, stroking her delicate face with his hands. As he had wanted to do at dinner, as he had wanted to do in the corral. Now he could.

His hands stroked her ears and her neck, pulling her towards him. He couldn't believe it, Mercedes was allowing him to kiss her. And Sam wasn't about to stop. Not anymore. But he had to, he needed to stop. He wanted to know what it was that had made her take that step.

He stopped the kiss, resting his hands on her neck; he softly trailed kisses all over her face. He kissed her cheeks, her nose, her forehead and lastly her neck. Returning to her mouth to leave in it a quick kiss. Mercedes had brushed her teeth, unlike him, and she left a refreshing taste inside his mouth.

"What are we doing?" Sam asked. Now it was her who placed her arms around his neck, pulling him back.

"I don't know."

Sam paused for a few seconds. It was not the answer he wanted to hear, it wasn't.

"This is wrong." He said, putting some space between them. He did not want to. But he had to if she did not know what this moment meant to him.

He had wanted so much to kiss her again. She had done it again at the dinner coerced by Mary Ann. But now no one was there with them. What was the purpose of her kissing him again?

"It's wrong." Mercedes whispered against his mouth, dropping her hands to his hips, pulling him to her again. Her hands stroked him over the shirt, as she kissed him, making contact with his tongue.

"Yes…" He moaned, playing with her tongue, his hands moved down her back and encircled her waist.

Why he let her attack him with her mouth and hands? He couldn't, he should stop. He had to. He needed to.

"Stop." She said, and that should have stopped him, however it didn't.

He couldn't, not now that her hands were seeking the skin under his shirt. Pulling the shirt out of his pants and fondling his skin with her soft hands, as he kissed her back.

"You first." He managed to say between kisses.

Sam attacked her neck, licked it wishing the light was on to see her reaction to his touch.

"Oh, God. It's just sex..." She said, agitated as she slid up the man's shirt to take it off finally.

_Not for me, Beautiful._

"Wait... I can't, no... I can't." He said, pulling away from her, and turning on the light in the room.

He looked at her, as she tried to breathe normally. As her lungs filled with air and her breasts rose and fell under her shirt and bra. Her hair was mussed and her lips swollen from the kisses he had given her. She was beautiful, gorgeous. And Sam wanted to make love to her. He did not just want to have sex with her, he did not. Sam wanted to love her, show her how much he loved her. With his hands, his lips, with his whole body.

It wasn't sex. It wasn't. Not for him.

"Why?" She asked taking it him out of the trance he got lost in. "You're not attracted to me, right?

"Not attracted to you? God, Mercedes I'm crazy about you."

The girl quickly hid the smile that was forming on her lips.

"I just... I don't want to lose what we have."

_I want you to love me, Beautiful. As I love you._

"Sam..." Mercedes tried to speak, but he wouldn't let her.

"I don't want you to be like the others, I..."

_Tell her, Sam. Tell her you love her. Tell her you don't think of anyone else but her. All day, every day..._

"Sam, you know what is there between us. You could never fall in love with me and I could never fall in love with you." She said quickly, noticing as he stared at her.

"_I could never fall in love with you."_

Sam tried to erase her last words of his mind, but he remembered them again and again.

"_I could never fall in love with you."_

He loved her, but she did not feel the same. He felt his heart broke into a million pieces. Mercedes had rejected him again, without even realizing it. She did not know what her words provoked in him. It hurt, they did so much damage.

"This is just sex, Sam." She said, looking into his eyes.

_It's not. No._

"Are you going to reject me again?" She asked, fearing his answer.

_Mercedes loves you, son. She just doesn't know it yet._

His grandfather was right. And Sam wouldn't rest until she understood that everything his grandfather had told him was true.

_I will make love to you, Beautiful. Again and again, as much as you let me. Until you realize that you love me as I love you. When that happens, you won't be able separate yourself from me. Not anymore._

Sam took the step that separated them, and he raised his hands again, to caress her face. He wasn't going to reject her again and he would make sure she did not either.

Mercedes fondled his naked torso with her tiny fingers, drawing with them every line of his abs, drawing from him a muffled groan, and a desire to take her to the bed to get her out of that pajamas she was wearing. Those pajamas which made him go crazy from the moment they had bought them. It had so many buttons! Sam wanted to unbutton it slowly, one by one, while he was kissing her lips and licking her neck with his tongue. He undid the top button, watching her reaction. Mercedes was staring, her mouth open, and her breasts rose and fell under the pajama top, waiting and hoping that he would take it off.

She wanted to feel his hands on her skin; she wanted him to caress her as he had done that afternoon by the corral. She wanted him so much! Sam undid the second button, revealing the black bra she was wearing. He wanted to take it off too, to quickly undress her and explore her breasts with his mouth, while she called his name. He would love her with his whole body and soul, until she could no longer resist and gave in completely.

The third button was released seconds later, and then the fourth and fifth. Discovering her belly and waist. He removed her pajamas, leaving both naked from the waist up. And he hugged her, kissing her neck, trying to open the clasp of her bra.

Her breasts appeared in front of him urging him to kiss them and fondle them with his tongue and the tip of his fingers. Mercedes thought she would fall when she finally felt him close to them, kissing them gently, delicately, as if they would break. Her hands sought his blond hair, stroking and stirring it while his mouth was playing with her breasts. His hands was already trailing down, stretching his fingers and caressing her stomach and waist, as his mouth left her breasts and was following the path of his fingers.

He led her to the bed, where he laid her back slowly. He looked into her eyes again, and kissed her. He placed himself carefully on top of her, settling between her legs, and showing the excitement pack inside his pants.

Mercedes was trying to think clearly as he kissed her and caressed her with his hands.

_It's just sex._

She repeated over and over again.

_It's just sex._

It was just sex. Yes.

She would be his girlfriend... his fake girlfriend. At least for as long as they were going to be staying in this house in which his family lived. She could think of nothing but Sam's big hands on her body. She did not think about anything else. Only him, his mouth, his hands melting her insides. She wouldn't regret all the time she had spent rejecting his body. She wouldn't. She would enjoy this moment and would keep it in her memory forever. She could never forget it.

_It's just sex._

It's just sex.

Maybe if she repeated it enough, she could keep him away from her heart.

She wouldn't be like Anna, she wouldn't fall for him. She would not let him come into her heart to break it, she wouldn't allow him.

He got up and touched her legs, removing the pajama pants she was wearing. Sam wanted to go through each one of her curves, he wanted to know her skin, remember her; he wanted to make her feel loved. His mouth kissed her right leg up until he got to her panties, as his hand ran up her left leg, directing it to where his right hand was.

He slid her panties off finally leaving her completely naked and vulnerable to him. And she quickly closed her legs, causing him to softly kiss them to open them.

Mercedes squeezed the blanket on which she laid. She clenched her fists on it, seeing as Sam rubbed her wet folds with his fingers. She tried to stay still, but she couldn't. She needed him inside her. Needed him now.

He got up again, taking off his pants and underwear without delay.

"Do you have...?" Mercedes opened her mouth, finally.

He nodded, showing her the condom he had taken seconds ago from his wallet.

"Mercedes... Are you... you sure? Is this what you want?" Sam asked, afraid to hear her answer.

"Yes Just... It's just sex." She repeated again.

Sam opened the wrapper, placing it quickly and joining her.

He placed soft kisses on her face and neck. With much love and tenderness that her eyes filled with tears. She did not want this sweet Sam, she did not want this loving Sam. But the Sam who made her wanting to kill him with her own hands, for all his comments and teasing. She did not want that Sam who satisfied her body and made her want to hold him and beg him to make love to her.

_It's just sex._

Slowly, Sam caressed her face with his lips while he entered her. Slowly, very slowly, as if he thought she could break inside.

"Oh, my God. Does it hurt?" He asked, finally noticing the tears that she couldn't help but shed. "Am I hurting you?"

Sam tried to leave, but she would not let him, fondling his ass with her hands.

"Why are you crying?" He asked as he wiped one of her tears with his own lips and entered back into her.

_It's just sex._

She repeated again, as he went in and out inside of her.

But it wasn't!

_"I don't make love, sweetheart. I have sex. Wild and unrestrained sex."_

That he had told her, that first morning they had breakfast together.

So why did she feel like he was making love to her? It wasn't sex, though she tried to be convinced of this. It wasn't. Sam was making sweet love to her, with all the love in the world and she couldn't, even if she tried, she couldn't stop crying.

"Why are you crying, Beautiful?" Asked Sam, again worried, retiring again.

"No, don't leave. Please." She begged, wiping the tears that did not stop. "I just... I didn't remember how good it felt."

Sam stroked her face with his right hand, as she closed her eyes, feeling his fingers on her skin, feeling how he was erasing each of her tears and replacing them with kisses. Sweet and soft kisses that made her fall in love with him.

_It's just sex._

She repeated. But she did not believe. She couldn't. Not after tonight. Sam Evans had finally, cross that barrier she had work so hard to build. Despite having tried to stop him, despite pushing him away, he had gradually entered her heart and her body and nothing could get him out.

Mercedes finally gave into him, feeling their bodies as they slowly made love until they were completely satiated. The pleasure shook them minutes later, taking them far away. To a place where both professed the love they had for each other.

Both recovered, Sam got up and headed to the bathroom, getting rid of the protection and returning back to bed. He did not want to stay away from her. Not now that he had experience heaven. He put on his underwear that he had left on the bed and watched as she put her pajamas back on, leaving the bra on the chair.

They stood staring at each other, not knowing what to say, for a few seconds. Both were aware of what had happened. They had slept together and now they couldn't turn back.

"Do you regret it?" She asked, getting into bed and making room.

"Never." Said him, approaching her, to lay her down on his chest.

She kissed him again softly, hugging him and stroking his bare chest with her fingers.

_I'll make you fall for me, Beautiful. I won't let you go. Not now that I know what love is._

They turned off the light and fell asleep in each other's arms. Nothing else mattered to them. It might take a long time to realize that, but in the future, maybe they would realize they both needed each other to be happy.

* * *

><p>Sam opened his eyes quickly, without realizing that the sunlight coming through the window blinded him.<p>

_Fuck!_

He closed his eyes again, and opened them, after a few seconds, slowly, getting used to the light coming through the window. Mercedes was still sleeping on him. She looked beautiful, her hair tousled and messy, and her mouth half open... The bulge in his boxers had greeted him, demanding his attentions.

_She's beautiful, isn't she?_

Sam laughed, rolling to the side to place himself on top of her. His back ached from sleeping like that all night, but he did not care. He just wanted to kiss her again, kiss her and wake her as the princes do with their princesses. A kiss of love. A kiss that awake her.

Gently he kissed her cheeks, her neck, her delicate ears. He strokes her belly under her shirt, searching for her bare breasts. Unbuttoning the last button of her pajama while kissing her on the lips.

Sam stroked her belly button, while Mercedes carefully opened her eyes, getting used to the light in the room.

"Are you trying to jump me, Evans?" She said, still half asleep.

"As you jumped me yesterday." He said, kissing her again and stroking her left breast with his index finger.

"I must admit. You know how to turn on a woman." She said, stifling a laugh.

"I'm an expert at it." He said, kissing her nose and down his lips back to her belly button.

"I bet you get me to see the stars by day, Evans... But, I don't think I'm ready for a second round..."

Sam stopped his hand, which was lost between the girl's legs, and looked scared.

"Oh, sorry. I thought... Well, I figured..." He said, embarrassed.

"Just kidding! Come Here!"

Mercedes pulled him towards her completely, checking his arousal struggling to take off his underwear.

She was accepting him again, no rejections, no reservations. She was his, completely.

They were kissing while Mercedes was slowly opening her legs to accommodate him.

"The stars, huh? Do you want to see them?" Sam asked, sliding his finger through her underwear.

"Aha." She said, biting her lip.

Sam smiled, grabbing her panties and starting to slide it down her legs.

"Sam! Mom says when you both finish doing the nasty, you go down to breakfast!" Stacy screamed across the door, beating it with her knuckles.

Mercedes laughed at her words, and looked at him, funny.

"Your family has a problem with doors..."

"That's not true." He complained, sliding her underwear again. "Where were we?"

"Looking for the stars." She replied, amused.

"Yeah..." Sam said, getting rid of her underwear finally and leaving it aside, lowering his head to...

"Sammy, Sam! Come to the kitchen or you run out of cookies!" Shouted Scott, from the other side of the door.

"Damn! In this home is impossible to make love!" Sam cried, tired of so many interruptions.

Mercedes stood still for a few seconds.

_In this home is impossible to make love!_

Sam had said it!

_"I don't make love, sweetheart. I have sex. Wild and unrestrained sex."_

She should stop thinking about it, or she would end up going crazy. But Sam wanted to make love to her, he had scream it. He wanted to make love, and yet that morning long ago he had said that he never did. Mercedes did not know what to think, her mind was telling her to get away from him while her stupid heart pushed her to suffer. Because that would be what would happen if she let him enter definitively into her life.

"Sam... We should go downstairs." She tried to get away from him, though did not want to do it at all.

"Absolutely not. I won't go downstairs until I eat _my_ cookie." He said, sliding his head under the covers and capturing her wetness with his mouth.

"Your... Your cookie?" She asked, clenching the sheets with her fist, as he gently parted her legs to make room.

"I'm going to eat my cookie and you're going to see the Milky Way." He said, leading her to paradise with his tongue. Fondling her pussy and her weak spot with it until melted her inside.

"Sam!" She cried, minutes later.

* * *

><p>So… what do you think? Let me know in a review.<p>

Thank you all for reading!


	9. If You're Not There

Hello everyone!

The new chapter of "Searching for a Heart" is here. I want to apologize to you guys because it took me so long to update it. Thanks again to LunaSolTierra who translated it and made this update possible. I couldn't make it without you!

Thanks to you guys too for those beautiful reviews that made me cry. It means so much to me knowing that you guys still remember this fic and want to keep reading it. I will promise finishing it even if I have to translate it myself with my bad English.

_As always, their thoughts are written in Italic._

I hope you like the chapter. Let me know what you think in a review.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just the truck.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em><span>Chapter 9: If you're not there:<span>_**

_You are the gentle breeze, sun shining every morning._

_Rain of caresses, a star at dusk._

_I know there will be no more darkness, nothing to fear_

_if you are my guide._

_I live because your love lives in me, I die without your breath_

_and your warmth. There is nothing after you, _

_I can not imagine what my life would be if you're not there._

* * *

><p>When they finally went down for breakfast, his brother Scott had already eaten all the cookies his mother had prepared for their breakfast. He and Mary Ann were drinking coffee while the others who were sitting at the table, Stevie, Stacy and their Grandpa, were enjoying their hot chocolates.<p>

"You're late, little brother. I've already eaten all of them." He heard Scott saying, while he swallowed the contents of his mouth.

"Not all." Sam said quietly, causing Mercedes lowered her head, embarrassed.

Sam pulled out her chair like a perfect gentleman.

Samuel Riley watched the scene with a huge smile on his face, waiting for whatever it was that had happened between them last night, would have worked. He wanted so much to see his grandson happy! From the moment his old eyes rested on her, he knew she would be perfect for the boy. Mercedes would make him not want to leave anymore. He would finally forget the truck and be happy with her, giving him great grandchildren and her mother beautiful grandchildren.

"Morning." Sam and Mercedes said together, glancing each other and breaking into laughter.

"Good morning, guys. How did you sleep?" Asked his mother.

The couple turned to look at each other again before giving an answer.

"Good." They said at the same time.

"They haven't slept, Mom. Believe me. They have been busy..." Scott said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Scott! Eat and be quiet!" His mother yelled, startling all the table, including the grandfather.

The boy watched as Mercedes tried to hold her laughter, while Sam served them some coffee in their mugs. He shrugged and continued to stir the contents of his cup not facing his upset mother. She could silence him but Scott was more than sure that that night, his brother had made peace with his girlfriend. And make peace obviously didn't mean a simple handshake. He chuckled, noticing the look Mercedes was giving him. And he watched his brother before him, jealous. Jealous of that look his girlfriend was giving him. Scott winked at his little brother, hoping he relaxed in his seat, but he didn't, arching his eyebrows confused.

Confused, totally confused was Sam while watching the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, was formed on Mercedes' lips. She was smiling, she was laughing. But it has been thanks to his brother Scott. Confused and jealous, he felt, watching how his brother took everything as a joke while his mother got angry again. Scott would never change.

Thoughtful, he watched Mercedes turned her face toward him now, giving him the same beautiful smile she had given her brother seconds before.

_You're so beautiful._

Sam closed his eyes for a few seconds, keeping that moment in his memory as he listened his mother speak again.

When he opened them, Mercedes was no longer looking at him, she was stirring her cup of coffee with the spoon, as she placed a lock of her hair behind her left ear, stroking it gently. She wasn't aware of what that meant to him. She wasn't aware of the time that had passed since he had tasted her lips for the last time, and yet he wanted nothing else than to do it again. Be him who place the hair behind her tiny ears, while he kissed them too. Make love to her again, again and again until he dropped from exhaustion. Until forgetting and not remembering their own names, just the feelings that they brought out in each other. Make slow love. Sweet. Fast. Passionate. It wasn't sex, not for him. And he wouldn't rest until he proved that to her.

_Mercy..._

"Mary Ann." He heard her mother say, taking him out of the dream where he was lost. "At noon the new vet will come to check on Fury... Could you attend to him?

"I can't Mom. Remember, I have to go to town and..."

"Oh." His mother gasped, worried. "Well... I'll have to receive her then."

"What about me? Do I not exist?" Scott asked, amused.

The two looked at him hoping he wouldn't say it seriously.

"You scared the last one, Scott. What she said before leaving was "Stupid bastard, I will never return here, not even dead." Mary Ann reminded him.

"You are exaggerating, sis." He answered, shaking his head.

Mercedes looked at Sam, hoping to understand something of what was spoken, but the guy had the same look of confusion as her.

Steve and Stacy started laughing out loud, further confusing the couple.

"You got her completely soaked Scott. In the pond! You threw her into the pond!" His mother reproached him.

"Good. She was hurting Thunder!" He defended himself.

"She was just drawing blood, jackass!" Mary Ann screamed, amazed.

"She should have put him to sleep first, poor little one." Said the boy, putting a sad face.

"Ohhh." They heard Mercedes, as she watched him fondly.

She loved the Evans siblings.

Sam had finished killing the poor chickens trying for them not to be hungry, while his brother Scott had thrown the poor vet into the pond for hurting the horse as she drew its blood.

¿What kind of crazy family did she get herself involved with?

"What bothers you is that she didn't notice you, little brother. Admit it, women don't like you." Mary Ann laughed.

"Of course they liked me, Mary Ann. Be thankful that you are my sister, or you would end up melting at my feet too." He mocked.

"Mom, tell him to shut up." The girl asked, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up, Scott."

"So what? Would you let me receive the new vet?" The boy asked for the umpteenth time.

"Shut up!" Screamed everyone at the table except Sam and Mercedes that were abstracted from the conversation and now couldn't avoid eating each other with their eyes.

They were so distracted that they hadn't realized that everyone had fallen silent, watching them. Seeing as Sam stirred his coffee as he watched his girlfriend and she played with her spoon on the table without taking her eyes off his beautiful green eyes.

Samuel Riley started to cough suddenly, causing everyone turned their heads quickly to look at him.

"Dad! Oh my God! Are you okay?" Asked Mrs. Evans, while Sam got up from his chair and went to his side, but not before his fingers unconsciously stroking Mercedes' smooth neck, making her shiver.

"You all right, Grandpa? Do you need anything?" Said the boy, worried, while the others watched them.

"No, no ... Don't worry, Sam. I'm fine. I've choked because of the milk, but I'm fine." The old man replied, wiping himself with the napkin.

"Don't scare us like that Dad." Mary asked him, as he told Sam to return to his place at the table.

Still with his heart in his mouth, Sam sat in his chair. Noting as Mercedes encouraged him, gently stroking his shoulder and giving him one of her healing smiles.

"Could I be there when they check on Fury?" The girl dared to ask.

"Of course, Mercedes." Mary Evans replied, earning a snort in response by Mary Ann.

"It's not fair! Mercedes can be there and I can't." Scott protested, like a small child.

"What's happening with Fury?" Sam wanted to know.

He still couldn't understand what he had done to the mare that she had knocked him down the previous evening. He had ridden in it hundreds of times and this was the first time she hadn't allowed him to do it. It would never have such a thing happened. Unless...

"She's pregnant." Scott said, confirming what Sam had suspected himself.

"You could have told me that when I asked you yesterday. I would haven't try to ride her." reproached his brother.

"Oh, honey! "Exclaimed his mother, worried. "Did she do something to you? Are you okay?"

"He fell into the corral." Mercedes answered her. "The mare wouldn't let him ride her."

"Thank God." Mary Evans breathed relieved. "Oh, Sam. Don't ever try. Please. And you! Scott Evans, you could have warned your brother." She scolded him pointing at him with her finger.

"I did it! I warned him! But he had to impress Mercedes, Mom. You know how he is, stubborn as a mule." Scott, began to laugh, causing Sam wanted to strike him hard as her cheeks stained red.

"I didn't know she was pregnant!" Sam shouted again, trying to save the situation.

And at the same time he felt Mercedes caressing his hand across the table, as a gesture of affection.

Gradually, everyone watched as the boy relaxed at the contact with her hand.

"Well, fortunately nothing happened." His mother said, rising from the table. "I'm going to see how your father is doing. He probably has woken up and wants to eat something."

Scott was still shaking his head, fuelling the anger Sam still felt and that Mercedes had failed trying to make it disappear.

Scott wouldn't stop doing it. He had proven that ridiculing Sam, made Mercedes want to protect him from his mockeries. Protect him from him, from Mary Ann, and from his own family. So even though his brother didn't like it, Scott wasn't going to stop. Besides, he had found that Sam got jealous whenever he stood at her side or he dedicated her a smile. Sam was jealous of him. Jealousy that made no sense, but that encouraged Scott not to give up. Mercedes would make him not leave again. Scott was completely sure.

From that moment Scott would understand that apologizing to Sam as he had done the previous evening, would become his daily bread. He only hoped that his brother bad mood didn't result into a fight between the two.

Mercedes would be the one thing calming him, disappearing the anger in him. Protecting him from them, from Mary Ann's teasing and from the jokes of his elder brother. She will even protect him from his desire to impress her, preventing him from embarrassing himself in front of everyone. Sam was lucky to have her at his side. Scott wished he could feel at least a quarter of the happiness that they seemed to share.

He rose from his seat, leaving the napkin on the table and with his hand up, said goodbye to everyone, going out of there. Straight to his room, where he would wash his teeth and prepare for a new day.

He saw his reflection in the mirror, noting the dark circles of his face, as he grabbed his toothbrush and put toothpaste in it.

"A new day begins." He said aloud.

He had been forbidden from going near the new vet, but it didn't matter that they had done that. He was determined to show up there as if nothing had happened. He felt like teasing someone. It was his favorite pastime. Basically, he and Mary Ann were not so different. The only difference that existed between the siblings, was that the girl was bitter. At least that's what Scott thought.

Maybe he wasn't happy either. He may also liked to spent his life screwing others' lives as she did, but at least occasionally, he had fun with a girl .

His sister had refused Dave again. How stupid she had been! He could have made her so happy. But that didn't matter. They had lost their chance.

He rinsed his mouth and then his toothbrush and placed the brush in its place, looking into the mirror for the last time. His heart told him that morning he was going to have fun and when it said that it was always right.

* * *

><p>"Doctor Harbor?" Asked Dave, behind the brunette that was watching the corral without entering in it. "Is it you...?"<p>

"Doctor Harbor, yes." She said, turning and taking a quick look at the man in front of her. She stretched out her hand, offering it, watching as he removed his right hand glove to accept it.

"David McCain." He said, leaving her hand free, "I work for the Evans family. I have been told that you'd come to see Fury.

"Yeah. I think I'm a little early." She said, looking at her watch. "There are still ten minutes."

"Do not worry. I guess someone will receive you soon." He answered, watching as Mary Ann and her mother came out of the house and approached there.

However, Mary Ann twisted her way before arriving, saying something to her mother while she played with the keys of her truck. Apparently she was going to the city. Perfect, Dave thought.

The least he needed now was a discussion early in the morning.

He saw his former lover climbing into the truck, swaying her hips and letting the wind ruffled her long blonde hair. Damn! She was beautiful. With a red and white shirt and a pair of skinny jeans.

She finally closed the door of the truck, driving him back to reality. Mary Evans had already greeted the doctor and now both of them entered the fence.

"Dave..." Mrs. Evans called him.

"Yes?"

"Could you tell Mercedes that Dr. Harbor is here? She was inside finishing her breakfast."

"Sure, Mrs. Evans. Right away." He said, lowering his hat slightly with his fingers in greeting.

He came out, entering the house through the back door and headed toward the kitchen.

"Good morning." He said out loud, taking off his hat and noticing that only Sam, Mercedes and Stacy remained sitting at the table.

"Morning." Answered all three.

"Do you want some coffee, David?" Stacy offered, but he rejected the offer, noticing Mercedes quickly.

"The doctor has arrived. Mrs. Evans asked me to tell you."

"Oh." The girl smiled, "I'm going now. Thank you, Dave."

"Sure." He said, putting the hat back and already turning towards the door.

"Hey, Dave! Wait for me!" Scott called him, entering the kitchen.

"Good morning." He said to his friend, waiting at the door.

"Good morning!" Scott said opening the door and going outside with him. "Tell me, is she hot?

"Who?" Dave asked, confused.

"What do you mean by who? The vet!"

"Oh." Dave laughed hearing him. He must have known that he meant her. "I don't know. I guess."

"You guess? What does she look like?" Scott asked uneasily.

"Why don't you go there and see her for yourself?"

"Because they forbid me from going near her." He replied, annoyed.

Dave couldn't help laughing out loud. Of course they had forbidden him. He had thrown the last one into the pond and the previous one... He better not remember it.

"Very smart on their part." He responded at the end.

"It's not fair."

"Yeah... Help me with the cattle now, come on." Dave asked him, as he walked past the fence. Not close enough to see the face of the new veterinarian but enough to see her perfect body in her tight pants.

"Damn! I have to see her up close." Scott said, watching as she leaned forward to grab something from her briefcase, giving him a good opportunity to admire her ass.

"No. You don't. You have to help me with the cattle." Dave reminded him. "Also, your mother won't let you be near her."

"Yes if you come with me." Scott told him, hopefully.

"You owe me one..." Dave said resignedly, after a few seconds that his friend didn't stop looking at him like a helpless lamb. Going against Scott was impossible and he knew that perfectly.

"Thank you!" He said, walking towards there.

"Scott?" Dave called him, crossing his arms and remained standing where he was, giving small bumps on the floor with his right foot.

"What?"

Scott turned awfully.

"Put on your boots first." He said, trying to sound serious.

"Right. Or my mother will kill me before I can even say a word."

And saying that, he finally ran to the shed.

Put on his boots. He would do that. Yes. He would wear his boots with the new vet.

He was running so fast that he almost trample Mercedes in the rush.

"Sorry!" Sam heard him say, as he held Mercedes so she didn't fall.

"What happens to you? Are you crazy?" He yelled, pissed, hugging Mercedes. Not realizing that she was no longer in danger of falling.

He wanted to pull away from her, go into the shed to explain a couple of things to his brother, but she wouldn't let him. She held his hands on her waist and she covered them with hers, resting her head on his chest and making it hard to not let go.

"Sam... I'm fine." She tried to reassure him with her soft voice.

That voice always managed to calm him down. That voice which had prevented him entering into the shed and punching his own brother with all his might.

"But..." He wanted to protest.

"I'm fine." She repeated, raising her head up to meet his gaze.

"Mercedes..."

She smiled in reply, making him forget.

Her smile caused that effect on him. Her beautiful smile erased the memories and he wished could get lost in her all the time.

"Make room! Make room! I'm in a hurry!" Scott said, turning to walk out the door.

But they no longer heard him. They were lost in their little world. There, where Scott planned to lose himself with the new vet. He smiled, moving away from them. As he had assumed, Mercedes Jones's smile stopped Sam from doing something stupid, like kicking his ass.

Dave was already waiting for him by the fence, leaning against the door.

"That was fast!" He said, as he arrived. "Try not to run over Mercedes the next time or Sam will make a stew with your balls."

"It was nothing... Also, part of my plan." Scott replied, winking.

"Sam making a stew with your balls is part of your plan? I like that plan." Dave said, funny.

"I'll explain it to you later. You just come with me."

"Okay, okay. I'm coming."

Dave reached out, letting him pass while muttering 'Lady's first' he hoped his friend didn't hear and he chuckled, following him to the interior of the enclosure.

"This will be fun." He muttered to himself.

"Morning." Scott said, arriving to the place where the visitor was.

"Morn... Scott! What are you doing here?" Asked his mother, seeing who she almost had been about to say good morning to.

Contrary to what he thought, the veterinary didn't speak. She didn't even look at him. She just continued with her work, which apparently was to say nice things to the ear of Fury to calm her.

"We have come to see the recognition, right Dave?" Scott looked at his friend, hopefully.

"Yes, Mrs Evans. We were curious and..."

"Yeah..." She pursed her lips in disagreement. "You told Mercedes?"

Dave tried to answer, but Scott was ahead, trying to gain the trust of his mother.

"She and Sam are coming. They're almost here."

His mother shook her head. Later she would talk to her older child. If he thought he was going to believe the story that he was curious, he was so wrong.

"I hope you are not here to disturb."

"Of course not, Mom." Scott protested, as he watched as Sam and Mercedes come hand in hand.

"Mercedes, honey. Come here, you will have a better view." Mary Evans told her, separating her from her son.

Sam felt how his fingers were released from hers, struggling not to make a scene and grab her again. His mother had separated them without even realizing them holding hands meant so much to them. Everything had changed from what had happened between them the night before, but she was still clutching his hand because of the lie they were living. Just for that.

_Mercedes loves you, son. She just doesn't know it yet. _

She loved him.

His mind reminded him over and over again the words of his grandfather.

She loved him.

That's why she had sought to grab his hand once they had left the shed. That's why she had stopped him from hitting his brother. She loved him and Sam wanted so much for her to realize that.

_Little by little, Beautiful. I'll love you so much that you won't be able to separate yourself from me. You will fight to continue holding my hand as much as I wanted to fight for yours. _

Mercedes was placed next to Mrs. Evans, curious to see what the vet wanted to do.

"What is she doing?" She dared to ask.

"She will draw blood out of her." Mary Evans said, smiling.

"Will she?" This time Scott asked, worried.

"But it won't hurt." The veterinary said, looking at him at last. "Do not worry."

Scott felt like the ground suddenly opened beneath his feet and swallowed him. Before him was the most beautiful woman his eyes had ever seen. Brunette, long hair. With naughty curls on each side of her face. Moving and falling over her forehead whenever she bent. Beautiful eyes and lips...

And her voice.

Sweet, like the cookies he had eaten that morning.

"Do not worry." Repeated Sam, sneering. As he closed his brother's mouth, to prevent from drooling.

But she hadn't even been able to see his reaction. As soon as she had told him not to worry, she had turned to the mare, syringe in hand to extract the blood.

The animal didn't complain. Not this time. And the veterinary extracted enough blood for the analysis.

"Good girl." She told the mare, as she patted its neck affectionately. "In a few days I will have the results, Mrs. Evans. But it looks good. She's eating well. The number of beats is normal. I don't think there is any problem. Although, if you notice any changes in its mood or behaviour, let me know."

"Sure." Mary Evans replied, waiting for the girl to pick all her stuff and put it in her briefcase. Then she held out her hand at last.

"And don't forget... Do not ride her or you may go directly to the ground." She warned them.

"Have you heard that, Sammy? Directly to the ground..." Scott scoffed.

Sam forced himself to not strike him at that moment. He was going on and Scott was aware of it but nevertheless, he didn't stop. What the hell happened to his brother?

The veterinarian, definitely. That was what was wrong. The new veterinary had turned him totally crazy. Well! If Scott had planned to ridicule him, someone would have to ridicule him and Sam was not going to be that person.

_I wished she rejected you. _

And when he thought that, he hated himself. He was wishing to his brother the same treatment he was getting from Mercedes. It wasn't fair, but he couldn't forget the fact that his brother overnight would have become the male version of Mary Ann, ridiculing them all and making their lives impossible.

_I miss my brother._

"Thanks for coming, Doctor Harbor. I will accompany you." Said Mrs. Evans.

"Don't worry, I know the way. Thank you."

With a smile, the girl left the corral, passing Scott without even saying goodbye.

But Scott wouldn't let such beauty to go away so easily. He ran behind her to catch up, right where she had parked her truck. It didn't matter to him that they all were watching. He was quite sure he would get a date with her. That same night, he would take her to dinner.

"Dr. Harbor has a name?" He asked with cockiness, resting his hand on the door of the truck, preventing her from opening it and getting into the car.

"She has." She answered dryly.

"Aha... And it is...?" He asked again, raising his hat slightly to look into her eyes.

"None of your business." She said, trying in vain to open the door. "May I?"

"So you're not going to tell me? Are you going to leave me wondering?" Scott dedicated her his seductive smile.

"You really want to know?"

The veterinary moved, approaching him dangerously.

"I wish I knew. So I could take you to dinner and..." He tried to talk noting her proximity. She was shorter than him, but not too much.

"Invite me to dinner...?" Asked the girl, invading his space and causing him to back away from the door.

"Yes." He responded nervous.

Devil woman! What a way to tempt him! He didn't know her name and he was already dying to get her into his bed. Or enter her over the hood of the old truck she was driving. Of course that should be when there were no witnesses.

If she kept coming closer to him, he would end up kissing her in front of his entire family. And frankly, he wouldn't have minded that at all.

But that didn't happen.

He couldn't even react in time. The door of the van opened at that moment and mercilessly attacked his lower parts.

No! It hadn't opened by itself. She had. She'd opened the door and had hit his balls with it. She herself had got into the car seconds later, as he was writhing in pain holding onto the truck. She herself now was rolling down the car window to respond.

"First, it's Doctor Harbor, okay? Dr. Harbor. Secondly, I don't appreciate man who think they can get in my way. And thirdly, I wouldn't have dinner with you even if they paid me, Scott Evans."

And with that said, she started the engine and she rolled up the window, waiting for him to back away from the car to step on the gas and leave from there.

Scott finally allowed himself to fall on the gravel seeing as her truck walked away down the road.

"Someone has done a stew with your balls and it wasn'tSam! You all right, man?" Dave came running, trying to help him up.

Still writhing, Scott Evans managed to say all that he had noticed from all the list of things she had listed to him.

"She knows my name..."

Dave shook his head, before lift him off the ground.

"Oh, God... Here we go."

* * *

><p>The morning was over and most of the afternoon. Although there was enough day light for those riding lessons that had managed to arouse the curiosity of Mercedes. She had been busy all day, trying to learn with Mrs. Evans the farm work and she had barely had time to sit. However, she wasn't tired. All she needed was to get on that horse and ride it around inside the fence to relax.<p>

Nor she had had much time to see Sam. He also had been busy with Scott and Dave in the clearings where they were grazing cattle. She only had seen him once at the lunch and they hadn' spoken a word. They weren't angry. Not after what had happened between them last night.

She just couldn't talk to him.

She couldn't tell him that she had been in heaven with his hands. She couldn't tell him that, that same morning, she had been able to see these stars than he had laughed at. That she just wanted him to go back to caressing her. To go back to loving her as he had done the night before. Fondly. Sweetly.

No. She couldn't.

She hit the corral door with the tip of her right foot but she barely got it to move.

She had decided to build a barrier that prevented him from reaching her heart. She had decided not to let him in on it and yet she had given him her body without hesitation. Let him shower her with kisses and caresses. Let his huge hands roam her body and fill her with kisses.

She had held him back, preventing him from committing the stupidity of beating his own brother.

Scott had come like a hurricane and he had pushed her causing her to lose her balance, but Sam had held her, preventing her from falling. Like a guardian angel. An angel who was always willing to save her from everything and everyone.

He had held her and then he had wanted to hit his brother. But she had stopped him, taking his hands and placing her owns over them. As if she really believed that a simple caress from her could calm him. As if...

_Enough!_

Mary Ann was right in everything she had said. Sam was a lonely boy and he would continue being that. And she... She didn't want to be alone. They were so different. They had nothing in common. Nothing but a journey that had already come to an end and a job that she would lose when Sam's father recovered completely. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about what will it be, what she would do next.

_I don't. _

And she didn't want him to love her again. She didn't want it. Despite desiring him with all her might.

_It's sex. It's just sex. It's just..._

"Mercedes?" Dave caught her attention, taking her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"I brought my horse. I thought maybe you wanted to go for a drive with Lightning and Thunder."

"Lightning? Do all of them have the name of weather phenomena?" The girl laughed.

"Well, yeah. Let us not wring much the brain when we named them." He answered, accompanying her in her laughter.

"I'd love that." Mercedes finally said.

"Good."

Dave began to open the door of the corral, but didn't get to open it all the way. In the distance he could see Scott came running calling him loudly.

"Dave! I have to talk to you!"

"I see you're all right, Scott." Mercedes said, funny, once the boy had come where they were. "Sorry you were left with no heirs, truck doors can be very dangerous."

"Very funny, Mercedes." He said, adjusting his crotch in front of her without any subterfuge. And turning to Dave, then. "I need your help."

"Now I can't. We were about to..."

He couldn't even complete his sentence. Scott brought him out of there, almost dragged him, leaving a totally confused Mercedes at the gates of the corral.

"What's the matter now?"

"Let Sam go." Scott replied in a whisper.

"Where?"

"Where else? For a walk with Mercedes."

Dave looked at him confused. Okay, he didn't understand anything. But he was talking to Scott so that was the most normal thing about him.

"Is it part of your plan?"

"Exactly."

"I don't like your plan, Scott. Mercedes will be angry at me."

"She won't be angry at you, just do what I tell you. I'm going to look for Sam. Give her an excuse."

"You already owe me two, you know?" He reminded his friend, as he saw him walking away toward the shed where Sam was.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready?" Mercedes asked him while she saw him arriving crestfallen.<p>

"Actually, no. Mrs. Evans asked me to do a last minute job, but... I've found you a replacement."

"A replacement? Who?" She asked, watching as Scott and Sam headed toward them.

"Your boyfriend." Dave smiled. "Is the best replacement here? Isn't it?"

"Yes, of course." She said trying to sound convincing.

How could she go riding with Sam as a companion? How could she? If all she wanted was to keep him away from her. As far as possible. She didn't want to suffer. She didn't want to get hurt and that was what would happen if she kept allowing him passage to her heart.

"Take Lightning with you. He will like you." Dave said, making her return to face him.

"I'm not sure."

Sam finally reached the corral, with Scott by his side. He smiled slightly at her and went straight to where Thunder was, quickly putting the saddle on the horse and climbing on it. With skill. As he had done the day before if Fury hadn't turned out to be pregnant.

Dave and Scott opened the door, letting him go outside and standing next to Mercedes. Waiting for her to also climb on Dave's horse.

Mercedes couldn't stop looking at him. Tall, slim, riding Thunder. The sun gave him its last rays illuminating his blond hair that now he had covered back with his hat. He looked so hot. He was very hot! And Mercedes should stop ogling at him if she didn't want him to realize all that made her feel.

"I'll help you up." Dave said, while claiming the chair to fit the girl.

"This time don't fall, Sam." His brother said mockingly. "I won't be there to help you up."

"Thanks I'm up here, Scott or..." He didn't want to continue the sentence, not in front of Mercedes.

He was ashamed to feel the need to beat his own brother. But it was that way. Day after day, word by word, joke after joke.

"Have fun, guys." Dave said, approaching Mercedes to whisper in her ear. "And remember..."

"I know." She said after hearing him. "I know."

Of course she knew.

Patience and firmness.

She shouldn't be afraid. Lightning wouldn't do her any harm.

She firmly held the ropes and urged the horse to walk forward. After a few steps, fears disappeared. She wasn't doing anything wrong and Lightning was obeying her as if Dave himself was mounted on it. The walk would be nice, after all.

However, there was still the fact that Sam had turned out to be her companion.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, they had already left the farm and its land, entering the cattle pastures. None of them had said a word and silence reigned in the way. A silence only off by the legs of the horses grazing the dry grass.<p>

They should talk, they should clarify everything that had happened between them. But each one had reasons for not doing it.

Sam wouldn't talk until she did, so he could pamper her and care for her as he desired. And Mercedes wouldn't do it either. She needed to get away from him. Get away from the fire he aroused in her. Away from her desire to feel him and caress him. But she couldn't, he was there again and again, watching over her, protecting her as he always did.

She didn't know how it happened. She couldn't even react.

In a second, she was walking mounted in Lightning next to Sam, and the next second, she was several feet away on the run trying in vain to stop the horse.

Lightning galloped fast without receiving orders from the girl who did nothing but scream and beg it to stop.

It had scared.

The horse was frightened and galloping like crazy with her on its back, scared and terrified.

"Mercy!" Sam screamed, trying to catch them up.

But he couldn't, Lightning was so fast. It was impossible to reach them. Thunder wasn't able to reach them even hitting it with his boots.

It wasn'trunning enough!

"Sam!" The girl cried, frightened, trying to stop the animal.

Mercedes almost didn't see where the horse was leading her in the race. It was impossible. Tears had gotten blur her vision. And despite she tried it wasn't enough to open her eyes. She was scared, she was terrified. And her legs perched the animal hard, asking him to stop. Praying to God and screaming at Sam to stop it.

"Sam!"

She couldn't stop screaming his name. Minutes ago silence had reigned between them and now she was fighting for her life as she screamed his name over and over again.

"Mercy! Pull the reins, do it!" He cried again with all his might. Was she not hearing him?

"I can't!"

"Pull them!"

"I can't, Sam!"

"Please!"

Mercedes heard his piercing cry, as she tried one last time to pull the reins tightly. The horse whinnied, still galloping few meters. And then it got up on its hind legs, ready to throw her down. However, it was only a few seconds in the air and then it finally stopped, gasping.

She had managed to stop it!

But her legs trembled and she didn't dare to climb off him. Stupid, idiot!

She should get off of it before the animal returned to start the race, but her legs wouldn't respond. No...

"_Beautiful_..." She heard Sam calling her slowly beside her. She hadn't even realized he had managed to get where she was and he had already climbed off his horse. "Hey _Beautiful_." He called her again softly.

"Sam..." Mercedes grabbed his hand, looking for support, trying to keep inside her more tears that threatened to be poured.

"Come with me." He whispered, asking her to come down from her horse, as he held the reins preventing the animal continue to move in circles.

"Sam..."

"Come with me, please." A tear grazed his neck cooling it, but that didn't stop him to keep looking at her.

Slowly Mercedes climbed off and Sam held her against him, helping her to maintain balance.

"Sam..." She repeated his name, embracing him. Leaned on him, while the boy circled his arms around her and stroked her hair.

She couldn't stop calling him. She couldn't. She was there with him. Alive. When she had thought that would be the end, that would be the day of her death and that she would never see his green eyes shine as he watched her smile.

"Sam..." The tears she had been trying to hold back were failing her. She cried hiding in his chest and protected in those arms that had given her so much happiness.

"I thought I was losing you." He said with tears in his eyes, hugging her waist. "I thought I was losing you and... Oh, God! Don't ever do this to me again!" He said, putting her away and stroking her face with his hands, as he wiped her tears with his fingers. "Please."

"I don't want…" She said, staring at him, stroking those hands that were placed over her face. "I don't want to ride again. I don't..." She told him, sheltering herself in him again. In his strong arms, in his warm embrace.

"I won't let you do it, _Beautiful_. Never again. Promise me you won't, please. "

"I won't, Sam." She replied, turning him away again. "I promise."

And she wouldn't. Never again. She had seen her death up close. She wouldn't see his pretty green eyes again and his beautiful smile. She wouldn't have seen him, ever.

"I won't..." She whispered as she let him kissing her.

As he kissed her with all the love he felt in his heart. Gently, lovingly. Completely pulling her close to him, trying to keep her there forever. With him. At his side.

_I love you. I love you, Sam._

She wanted to scream to him.

But she couldn't, she shouldn't.

_I love you._

He kissed her slowly, so slowly. Making her fall in love with each of his kisses. As his hands caressed her face and her flushed cheeks.

She loved him.

Although she had struggled to get him away from her life and her heart, he had slipped his way gradually into them. Winning them. Causing her to lose all sense.

Her heart cried out his name. Only recognized his face. Her heart encouraged her to love. Breaking the nonexistent barrier she had insisted on building, and allowing him to kiss her. To love her.

She wanted him so much.

But he didn't love her.

"_I cared about her but I didn't love her. At least not like she wanted me to."_

That was what he had told her about Anna.

He cared about her but he didn't love her. He hadn't felt love for Anna and he wouldn't fall in love with her either. Mary Ann was right. Sam was a loner like his sister.

A lonely boy she was madly in love with.

A boy who she had been about to never see him again. Her life could have ended that day and she would never see his face again.

She was in love with him.

How could she have even denied her feelings? If every part of her body was saying that to her loudly. Every part of her was calling him. She needed him. Only him.

She needed his hands that now was caressing her neck. His lips that were kissing her now relentlessly. His arms, which had protected her from all. Her nightmares, her bad memories.

She needed him.

He would never feel anything but care, but she couldn't stop loving him.

_I love you. I love you and I need you, Sam. Love me, please._

She needed to feel him again. She wanted him to make the love to her again. There, where she had been about to lose him forever. She wanted him so badly.

"Sam..." The girl sighed as she walked away from him slightly.

Now the boy was attacking her neck, licking and kissing her mercilessly, stroking her back.

"_Beautiful_..." He whispered in her jaw before kissing her again.

_I love you so much. I thought I lost you. Let me love you, Mercy. You taught me what love is, let me teach you._

He stroked her hair as he kissed her again and again. There, where he had been about to lose her. He couldn't stop, he couldn't. His body was asking him to love her. His body was pushing him to caress her. He wanted to feel her skin touching his. He wanted to feel her beneath him and love her until she said his name.

"Sam..." The girl moaned, filling his heart with love.

"Yes..." He said, slowly sliding them and lying her down on the grass.

He couldn't stop kissing her and he didn't want to. Her kisses were so sweet and yet so passionate. And her tiny hands stroked his face and stirred up his hair as he tried to lift her shirt.

"Ummm." Mercedes tried to speak, feeling his hands already on her skin.

Sam finally took her shirt off, looking for her breasts and gently stroking them with his fingers over her bra.

"Sam..." Mercedes closed her eyes, noticing his fingers encircling and stroking them lightly to then soothing them with his mouth over her clothes.

But he didn't continue. The boy separated away from her and dropped her shirt quickly.

Why the torture? She just wanted him to kiss her. Just wanted him to love her with all his heart.

"Please..." She begged.

"I can't." He said, getting up off of her.

"What is it?"

Mercedes straightened, standing beside him. And she looked into his eyes trying to understand what it was that had made him stop.

Sam held her face in her hands, stroking it lovingly, and kissed her again slowly. Causing her to get close to him, stroking his back.

"I can't. Not here."

"Why?" She asked in a whisper, instantly regretting it.

How could she ask him? How silly! Stupid!

She ducked her head, embarrassed. Then looking at both sides. No one. No one who saw them. They were in a lonely place. They and the horses.

Horses!

That was why he had refused to do it, right? It was because of that.

She returned to down her head. He had remembered the horses and he had stopped. However, she had completely abandoned to his touch. Forgetting everything. How could she even look at him? For a moment she hadn't cared where they were. She just needed to feel him again with her. Just wanted him to make love to her again.

"I have no protection."

"What?" Mercedes looked at him in astonishment.

"I can't make love to you, I have no condom."

"Oh my God!" The girl felt her cheeks redden.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Mercedes..." He scolded, lifting her face to face him.

"Horses, Sam."

"What about the horses?"

"I thought you couldn't do it because of them." She encouraged to confess.

"What?"

"Sam..." The girl blush more if that were possible.

"I don't understand what you mean, I really don't." He answered, stroking her neck.

"I thought we couldn't do it because of the horses."

"What happens to the horses?" He asked, confused.

"They were in front of us!"

"For God's sake, Mercedes! I wanted to make love to you! Do you think I was thinking if the horses were here or not?"

"No..." Whispered the girl, trying to hide the smile that wanted to form on her face.

"I still want." He said, kissing her again as he pulled her between his legs to accommodate her.

"Me too." She sighed, between kisses.

She had allowed his hands again caress her skin and if they continued, that time wouldn't stop.

"Let's go home." He managed to say, separating her slightly.

"Yes." Her mouth formed the little word as she stood away from his arms.

"I want to do it with you." He said once stood. Kissing her again.

"Sam... Stop kissing me or we never get there."

"I'm sorry." He said, giving her one last kiss.

She gave him her beautiful smile, causing him, the need to stay there with her, forever.

_You're so beautiful. _

They walked, each one holding the reins of each horse.

Sam thanked the road they had to travel was still long enough to calm the excitement that was born in his pants minutes ago. The last thing they needed now was heard his mother yelling at him or the teasing of his older siblings.

_When we get home, Beautiful. _

He thought again and again, watching her walk beside him.

_When we get home I'll love you again. I'll feel you with my hands. When we get home..._

* * *

><p>He loves her... She loves him… Please, someone knock some sense into these fools! Lol<p>

What do you guys think about this chapter? Do you think one of them will say it soon? Tell me in a review.

Thank you so much for reading it and I hope you liked it.

Hugs and kisses

Syl


	10. Chasing Paradise

_Hi everybody!_

_I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me... lol Kidding! I know it's been too long since the last update and I am really sorry for making you guys wait all this time. Here it is finally the new chapter of "Searching for a heart". The fic has 14 chapters in total so the end is near. Thanks again to LunaSolTierra for helping me with the translation._

_Thanks to you guys as well for leaving those reviews. They were so beautiful they made me cry. Especially msgonzo10's review. Thank you! Thanks to you, guys for following and favoriting the fic too, and for reading my other fics even if you have to do it with the horrible Google translator. It means so much to me that you guys still want to read this fic. _

_Thanks also for having followed the Team all these years, thanks for always being there for me and made me smile. You guys are the best! Glee could have finished, but Samcedes Fandom will still continue with their journey like we always did. Our amazing writers will write our babies those blank spaces the show refused to fill. But never forget that they were, are and they will always be endgame!_

_I hope you like the chapter, let me know in a review what you think about it. _

_As always, their thoughts are written in italic._

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. Just the truck.<strong>

* * *

><p><em><span><strong>Chapter 10: Chasing Paradise<strong>_

_And it's that in your belly I find peace _

_the fire of my home _

_that consumes me every time we make love _

_I am a castaway on your kisses _

_wind between your fingers_

_love me without fear I beg you... _

_And I get lost inside you _

_between heaven and delirium _

_each step within you _

_I'm chasing paradise._

* * *

><p>By the time they reached the farm, Samuel Evans had managed to calm his excitement. It had not been easy. Considering what they had been about to do and what they planned to do when they finally got home.<p>

Mercedes held tightly the reins of Lightning, as the sun was setting on the horizon. She was witnessing a sunset. The most beautiful sunset she had ever seen.

Sam took Thunder to the stables, while she stayed outside, waiting.

It did not take too long to come out, grabbing the reins from her hand and leading the horse to the door of the corral. Neither Dave nor any of his brothers were there. Perhaps they had already entered the house to dinner together.

He threw some grass in front of the animal, as he had done with Thunder, and got out of the corral, seeing the girl watched the sunset while she waited. She stood there leaning against the fence with a smile on her lips.

Leaving the corral, he bordered it and approached her slowly. Silently. Trying to stop time then.

"Sunsets are one of the things I miss the most when I leave this house." He said, standing close to her.

"I understand why." The girl replied, daring to lay her head on his chest.

Sam reached for her hand to interlace their fingers, afraid of her reaction, while he looked how the sun ended up disappearing.

They watched, for a few seconds, how the horse whinnied uneasily inside the corral. Moving in circles and causing Mercedes frighten.

"Shhh." Sam reassured her, whispering in her ear. "Everything has been left behind. You will never get on it. Nor in Thunder. You made me that promise."

"Yes." She said, squeezing his hand, while Sam left a kiss on her hair.

They had come home at last, but it was still too early to escape to his room and kissing and eating each other as much as he wished. He would wait patiently until the time came and meanwhile, he would enjoy the company of his family.

Suddenly, Mercedes spun the hand that was entwined with his, placing it over his and stroking it with her left. She planned to kill him by tickling and laughter. That was what she intended to do?

"Be still." He asked, purring beside her right ear.

"I'm sorry."

The girl had done that unconsciously, too late she was aware of it.

The proximity of Sam and his hand intertwined with hers clouded her judgement, completely forgetting of what existed between them. Forgetting what he felt for her. He cared, he desired her, he was attracted to her but he did not love her. She had to remind herself again and again to engrave that forever in her heart. To not make a mistake. To not confess that she actually loved him. That he was everything to her. That without him she wouldn't know what to do. He had gotten so inside of her, that nothing and nobody, would get him out of her mind and her heart.

"Shall we?" Sam asked, leaning on her neck.

"Yeah." She responded nervously after hearing him, believing that he would release her hand. Believing that he would separate from her. But Sam only dropped his free right hand to grab her left, intertwined them again.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, already heading toward the house.

"No, are you?"

_I'm hungry for you._

"No. But we should eat something or my mother will suspect."

"I can't, Sam. Now I couldn't eat anything. And I don't want to lie to your mother. I don't want to lie to any of them anymore."

Sam's face paled as never before listening to her. Stopping his steps and the girl, frightened.

"Are you going to tell them the truth? Are you going to tell them that we are... nothing?" He asked, lowering his voice and slurred.

Because that was what they were. Nothing. They were not a couple, they were not dating. They were just two people who slept together, or that they had done that, if it came to not be repeated.

"No!" She whispered, raising her voice so he could hear it. "Of course not, Sam. I would never betray you. I would never betray us. But I won't hide what happened to us today. They need to know, they need to know what is the real reason why I never want to ride a horse."

"I understand." He said, calming down beside her. For a moment he had thought that everything would end. For a second he thought she would tell them the truth and then she would leave his life forever. During that second, Sam's heart pounded, believing her already far away from him.

"I won't eat. I couldn't now."

"Okay."

"I have something here that prevents me. Fear, apprehensiveness. I don't know what it is, Sam."

"I'm sorry." He lamented, caressing her face.

"Why are you apologizing? You weren't who started the race with me in the back without stopping." She tried to laugh but she could not.

"I know." He said, staring at her while he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to feel his lips caressing hers again. He was dying to do it again. "It wasn't me, but neither did anything about it. I did nothing, Mercedes."

"Is not enough to risk your life trying to reach me? Sam..." She wanted to continue but he would not let her. Aware that he was making a mistake, he kissed her.

And she returned the kiss.

How couldn't she? If he gave her sweet and passionate kisses that made her knees tremble. How couldn't she? If all she needed to erase that discomfort in her chest were his gentle kisses.

She stroked his hair as she kissed him, tangling her fingers in it. Mercedes wondered what place he had left his hat. She did not remember the time when he had taken it.

"We said..." She tried to speak, between kisses. "Sam... We said we wouldn't..."

"I'm sorry." He said, parting slightly as he rested his forehead on hers and stroked her little ears.

How could he be so sweet? She wondered again and again. Guys like Sam Evans didn't exist. So loving...

_I love you._

She thought, looking at his beautiful green eyes. Those eyes that were shining now wanting to undress her. Sam wanted to. Her skin was telling her loudly. Her skin felt how he stroked her ears wanting to kiss them. Desiring to kiss her again.

Mercedes watched as he bit his lower lip, separating from her eventually.

They continued their trek to the house again lacing their hands. Like a habit. As if they do not, it would be no longer possible for them. It was their code. It was their way of knowing that everything would be well.

They entered the house through the back door, and watched as his mother got the roast and prepared it to take it to the dinning room. Apparently, everyone should be waiting at the table.

"Mom" Sam called, gently, trying not to scare her.

"Honey! Where were you, guys? I was worried about you two. Scott told me that you guys went to ride but you didn't come back. Dave has had to stay for dinner waiting for Lightning to come back."

"Can you tell him that we've left it tied to the fence? Mercedes does not feel right. I will accompany her upstairs."

"Don't you want to dinner? Are you not hungry?" Asked Mrs. Evans.

Mercedes shook her head, trying to find the right words to explain what it was that had happened that afternoon, but Sam was ahead.

"Mom... Mercedes almost fell off the horse."

"Oh my God! Are you okay, honey?" Asked the woman concerned, holding her hands in hers and caressing her face lovingly.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"It was just a shock, Mom. But... Mercedes has decided not to ride again."

"Of course not! And neither should you! Long time since you don't get on a horse, son. I don't want anything happen to you, I told you. No more horses for you too, young man. At least for now."

"But I..." Sam wanted to protest, but her mother raised a finger in the air, causing the boy to shut up.

"No horses for you two. I'm sure both you and Mercedes would have a heart attack if the other fell of a horse. Am I wrong?

The two of them looked scared.

An attack? They probably would die of sadness, if that were to happen to either of them.

They turned to look at Mary Evans, nodding quickly.

"All right. It is clear then. No horses... You sure you don't want to have dinner, honey?"

"I am. Do not worry, really."

Mary smiled sweetly and then turned to his son.

"She doesn't eat, neither do you. Do what a good boyfriend would do and accompany her to the room until she falls asleep."

"But I-"

"No buts, Sam."

Mercedes could not help laughing. The same Sam had told her mother that he would accompany her, but she seemed to have not paid attention.

"No buts." He answered, looking at her and then, smiling at Mercedes.

"Good night, dear. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Mrs. Evans. Thank you very much for your concern." The girl replied, already walking towards the door.

"Don't you separate from her, okay?" Sentenced her mother. "Now I'll tell Dave what happened."

"I'm not going to separate from her, Mom. Don't worry, okay?" He told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek and ran behind Mercedes, upstairs.

Of course he was not going to separate from her. Not until loving her again. Not until hearing her saying his name and even after hearing her, he could never separate from her.

He caught her in the hallway, crossing it while they clashed with their bodies and their mouths. They had started a dance they both knew the end. Their bodies finally collided with the door of his room while kissing, thanking that in that hallway there were not any vase or pot with danger of breaking.

"I need to go to the bathroom." He whispered against her mouth.

"Me too."

"Going to Scott's room. I come back now."

Mercedes nodded, as she let him kiss her neck again. Then she saw him walk away towards the end of the hall and entered the room.

A few minutes later, she had already left the bathroom. Not knowing if she should remove her clothing, put on pajamas or stay with the one she was wearing. She was nervous. As if they had never slept together despite having done that the night before. But she felt that way in her heart. Every day and every night she spent with him, it was new. It was discovering him again and loving him. And at the same time, it was recognizing how far he was from her. How far and how close she felt him. His body loved her with his hands and mouth, but not with his heart.

Sam's heart did not know what love was. And perhaps it never came to know.

Seconds later, the boy opened the door again, coming into the room. Mercedes was still wearing the clothes he had wanted to take off of her that afternoon. Clothes that now he would take off to make love to her again. To get lost inside of her and make her fall in love with him.

"I should have showered." She said, as he approached. "I smell bad."

"Not true. You smell so good." He said, silencing her with a kiss.

She smiled at his reaction. Kissing him and tempting him with her tongue and lips while her hands caressed his back.

_Finally._

He thought, still kissing her. Still stroking her with his fingers, trying to take her shirt off. But she refused, forcing himself to take his first. Noting as he obeyed and took it off to leave it in the chair.

Mercedes ran his index finger each of the lines of their abs, while she bit her lower lip, trying to excite him even more than it was already. Directing her fingers to the waistband of his pants and opened the first button.

So she was thinking of undressing him completely while she was still fully dressed?

Sam watched each of her gestures. That was what she intended. She wanted to undress him completely. And he would help her if that was what she really wanted.

He took off his shoes quickly, looking at the boots he wore. They had not even taken them off in the shed. So clueless!

The socks followed the path of the boots and in less than a minute, Sam Evans was naked from head to toe in front of her.

"Mercedes..." He wanted to know what they were supposed to be doing. He wanted to ask why she was still dressed while he stood before her completely naked.

Then she led him to the bed, and slowly, she began removing her clothes in front of him.

She was being daring, she was being ... She was trying, but it was not easy. Not at all! The blessed shirt had decided to entangle in her neck, making her almost impossible to breathe.

She was embarrassing herself in front of him. It was a disaster! A complete disaster and...

_I adore you._

He thought, as he watched her struggle with the nagging shirt. She had wanted to be in control that night, but had failed miserably in her efforts, making him fall in love with her even more, if that was possible.

Calming her with a sweet "Shh" and helping her remove it. He pulled her to sit on his lap.

"Don't laugh." She asked as he kissed her.

"I'm not laughing." He said, giving her a look of love.

How could he? How could he do it? The woman in his arms, was doing everything possible to get him excited. And he could not desire her more if she tried.

The girl's hands sought the hooks of her bra but stopped.

"Do it." She whispered in his ear.

And he obeyed her request. Undoing it quickly and hugging her to feel her breasts on his chest.

He held her face, kissing her lips hard as she leaned back, letting him kiss her neck and jaw. With such bad luck, he could not hold them enough and their bodies were precipitated to the ground, falling on the carpet.

"Ow!" Complained both at once.

But looking into each other eyes, they kissed again.

In the hard ground their mouths were devouring each other. Feeding from each other.

"Ow!" Mercedes' elbow hit the side of the bed, while her head laid against the cold ground.

Why everything have to be so difficult? So disastrous? She just wanted to feel him, but she did nothing but embarrass herself again and again.

"Up." He said, noting how uncomfortable she was.

"What?" She asked, feeling as Sam was holding her in his arms newlyweds' style and climbed back into bed, taking the opportunity to remove her pants.

She laughed while he put them away and also wasted no time removing her underwear.

"You are so beautiful."

He said, without hesitation. As he had wanted to do for so long.

"Not true." She laughed.

_Don't say that to me, please. Don't say that._

"Yes it is. Look, you're beautiful." He said, kissing her again, making her forget.

Caressing his neck and jaw, her breasts and her navel with his mouth and his hands, stopping at each and dedicating them time and love.

Why did he have to be like that? Why could he not only have sex with her? Why did he have to tell her how beautiful, how gorgeous she was? She did not want to get her hopes up. She did not! But the words of love confused her, to the point of believing the impossible.

_He doesn't love you, Mercedes. He doesn't. Please don't be stupid._

She felt his hands caressing her intimate area, clouding her mind for a few seconds.

"Sam..." Escaped from her mouth in a whisper.

She did not want to beg, she did not. But she needed him. She needed to feel him inside of her already.

"Sam." She repeated.

The boy moved in search of that protection that he had needed so much that afternoon, putting it quickly without any delay. Entering her a few seconds later.

"Oh, God." She said, when she finally felt him filling her inside.

"Mercedes..." Sam moaned, moving himself in and out of her.

He wanted to make the love to her, he wanted to love her slowly. Make her fall in love with him. But how could he do that if her body was driving him crazy? How could he do that if she managed to make him abandon himself completely inside of her, possessing her time and again? Fast. Strong.

He could not do it anymore. As much as he tried to contain himself, he could not. He was entering her without delay, trying to get her to paradise with each of his thrusts.

"Sam..." She gasped, bending her knees, while resting her hands on his arms. Maybe doing too much pressure with her nails. "Oh... I think... I..." She tried to say.

"Beautiful!"

Sam moved a little faster, making her come, capturing him at the time. Abducting him in her pleasure, taking him with her wherever she travelled.

Slowly, the boy moved aside, pulling off and resting on the bed. Holding his right hand with her left. As if he needed her to remember what they had felt seconds ago. It was not a dream. It was not. Mercedes had allowed him to make love to her again and Sam could not be more thankful to God for it.

* * *

><p>Mary Evans had just burnt a finger preparing the hot milk she thought to bring to Mercedes to her room. After what the guys had confessed, she could not have dinner either and her mind was a mess, judging by the burnt finger she was complaining now.<p>

She was worried about her. About Mercedes. And also for her son. She has never seen him like that. In love, absolutely crazy for this girl who shared her life with him. It was the first time he brought a girl home. But Mary Evans really wanted and hoped it was the last.

Mercedes made him happy, made him smile. His eyes sparkled every time she spoke. Every time she smiled. And the boy's smile grew larger every time she laughed and grabbed his hand.

That same morning, Mary had separated him from her side, dropping his hands trying to figure out the reaction in her child. Realizing what she had thought long ago. That it hurt for him to be away from her.

She did not know their history. She did not know how they came to form the beautiful couple that they were, but he loved her and cared for her. That was all that mattered.

And Mercedes?

Everything pointed to that she loved him too, that she was happy at his side.

Mary Evans wished with all her might that Sam and Mercedes never leave home. She was being selfish, she knew, but she just wanted to be near her son. Watch his happiness every day and support him if something went wrong.

Throwing the hot milk in a cup, she added cocoa mix and stirred it and left the kitchen. She climbed the stairs slowly, taking her longer than usual, trying to not spill the milk from the cup.

She came to her son's room, leaning on the doorframe, trying to hear noise inside, but there was only silence.

She opened the door carefully enough to see that the two of them were sleeping in his bed, turned toward the door without noticing her presence.

Mrs. Evans' cheeks couldn't help but blush while watching both of them slept under the covers, completely attached. She only could see their bare arms and their shoulders above the blanket. Her son's arm was wrapped around the waist of his girlfriend and his hands rested on top of hers. He had forgotten to turn off the light and now his mother watched the whole scene with her right hand on her heart. They looked so beautiful, so happy.

At that time, Sam moved slightly, without opening his eyes, and curled up on the neck of the girl, while she said aloud the magic words.

"I love you, Sam."

No. Mary Evans was not dreaming. Mary Evans had heard Mercedes telling his son that she loved him and he answered her with a snort.

_Ah! You're like your father, Sam Evans! You're a mess, son. A complete disaster._

Mary laughed, watching them sleep peacefully. Finally turning off the light and closing the door carefully.

Supported in the frame, she took a big sip from the cup of milk. She had prepared it for Mercedes so she could sleep, but it had not been necessary. The disaster of his son had made it possible. Mercedes loved him and he loved her.

Mary Evans took another sip of the milk before heading downstairs, with a sense of peace in her heart.

* * *

><p>Sam Evans watched her sleep, while picking up the mess of clothing that they had been left on the floor the night before. She looked like an angel, breathing softly. An angel that occasionally pull a smile out of him watching her complaint about the sunlight that came through their window.<p>

He knew her perfectly. Soon, she would begin to move trying to avoid the light coming through the window and she would wake up. So he went to the bed and sat beside her, stroking her right ear while leaving a kiss on her hair. After what had happened between them the night before, Mercedes could reject him the times she wanted, but he wouldn't go away. He would pamper her all the time and he did not care what she said about it, nothing else mattered to him.

As he thought, the girl began to rub her eyes and then she tried to cover herself with the blanket, preventing the sun's rays from disturbed her and causing him to burst into laughter. She really thought hiding under the covers as if she was a little girl.

"Mercedes..." He called her softly.

"Ummm." She growled, hearing his voice in her ear.

"Your breakfast is getting cold."

Everything had changed in these past two days. In the two weeks that he had passed sharing a bed with her, Mercedes had woken up early and getting up fast, going directly to the shower, thinking that he was not aware of it. But since he had come to the house, since they had made love, Mercedes did nothing but hide under the covers to not see the sunlight. Everything had changed and Sam hoped it was because of him. Because of what made her feel. Because of how well she felt at his side.

"Breakfast?" The girl asked, opening her eyes slowly, after uncovering her head.

Gradually she managed to open them at all, observing the tray he had left on the chair.

The boy stood up for and moved closer to the bed and gave her pajamas so she wouldn't be cold.

"I made it for you." He said, with a smile from ear to ear, watching as Mercedes quickly put on pajamas.

"Why?" She asked, with a lump in the throat.

"Because last night you went to bed without having dinner. So I assumed that you would be starving."

"And it's true." She smiled, feeling her cheeks stained red. "But ... you brought it to me to bed. You could have breakfast with the others and..."

Sam did not let her finish. He smeared a toast with strawberry jam and gave it to her.

"All are gone but my father. He has stayed at home, resting."

"Have they gone? Where?" She asked, dumbfounded, as she held the toast in her hand without daring to try.

"To church. It's Sunday, remember? My mother did not want to wake us up. She left a note on the kitchen table. Eat a little, come on."

"They have gone to church." The girl repeated.

"Yes, what is it?"

"It's been a long time since I've been to church." She replied, trying to forget the last time she had been to one.

She put the toast on the plate, closing her eyes for a few seconds. Unable to avoid memories of herself at the funeral of her mother, while the priest gave her final farewell.

"I'm an idiot, right? Whatever I do, whatever I say, I always make you remember her and hurt yourself again."

"Sam..."

"No! I thought your nightmares were gone. That I had managed to erase them completely. How stupid!"

"Sam, please. Don't say that. You did it, you did."

"No..." He lamented. It was not true, no matter what he did, what he said to make her forget. There would always be things that reminded her that. Things that would make her remember her mother's death and all the pain she had felt for it.

"Yes. Yes you did. I am who should reproach myself for anchoring myself in the past. I haven't gone back to a church since my mother's funeral. I didn't. However, I kept praying. I kept talking to Him, because I know God exists. And I know he will look after her wherever she is. I keep praying so she doesn't forget me, and I don't forget her. I keep praying to keep going, and I thank Him for having found you. Daily. Every day, I thank Him for allowing me to know you."

Sam was listening to her, incredulously. He had never thought that Mercedes would have dared to say that to him. Maybe someday she had the courage to confess what he really wanted to hear from her lips.

"If you want, we can go next Sunday." He promised.

"I'd love that." She replied with a smile.

"On one condition."

"Which one?" She asked, worried.

"That you eat everything I have prepared for you." He said, handing back the toast and forcing her to eat.

"Are you going to feed me like you did that time in Richmond?"

"I don't know, do you want me to?"

Mercedes nodded, amused. Noting the toast already approaching to her mouth.

"Perfect, here's the first." Sam said as she hit the first bite of the toast, staining her nose of strawberry jam.

He waited for her to swallow the entire contents of her mouth and then he kissed her cleaning her and tasting the jam.

"Not tomato sauce, but it seems like it." He said, once separately.

That afternoon he had wanted to kiss her, but he had failed. Now he realized how much it had been worth the long wait.

"Eat it all."

"And then what?"

"Then we'll think of something." He said with a seductive smile.

Mercedes took another bite of toast, without losing sight of him. Sam Evans was her undoing and she could not love him more if she tried.

* * *

><p>For when his family finally returned home, they had already cleaned the dishes and cups from their breakfast and cleaned the house. They had also gone to visit his father and then, they had fed the horses and the chickens on the farm.<p>

"Good morning, guys." Her mother greeted them with a smile, walking into the kitchen.

They were sitting at the table, resting from the work done.

"Oh! The kitchen is super clean."

"And the rooms, and bathrooms. Everything." The boy said, stretching the word. "We've also made the beds."

"Yours too?" Scott asked, sitting in front of them, while he devoured a piece of bread. "Or have you left it undone so that way it is easy and quick to throw yourselves into it? Sinners that you are... You haven't even gone to the church."

"Scott!" Shouted his mother.

Mercedes looked at him, sick of their mockery. Even she had finished getting tired of it. She wanted to reply, but Sam spoke first.

"Yes we made it. And yours too, brother. I didn't know you had all those magazines hidden under the mattress." Sam raised an eyebrow, watching the reaction of his older brother, trying to avoid the accusing eyes of his mother.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah..." Sam laughed, victorious.

Mercedes was also dying to do it, but she would not. Not in front of Mrs. Evans. It had to be difficult for her to reconcile her children without taking sides.

The magazines...

She recalled the time when she had found them while she was making Scott's bed. Sam had caught her red-handed watching them and she had left them quickly on the bed, while her cheeks blushed like never before.

_"Wow. What a collection." He said, seeing the amount of them that his brother had. Opening one of them and moving his head to either side. "I'm sure this position is impossible. Have you seen it?" He asked, showing her the photo. _

_Mercedes shook her head, making no answer, and Sam quickly closed the magazine, put them all back in place. _

_"We better leave or he will think we stole him some."_

_The girl laughed as he placed them under the mattress again, then turned to see her. _

_"I still think that position is impossible, but we should try it sometime, just to check." He told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek and left the room, straight to Stacy's room. _

_Oh, Lord! At what time she had fallen in love with a sex god?_

"Mercedes?" Scott called her for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Yes?" She said, out of the trance.

"I was telling Sam that we are going to go to the Country Bar today, get our dance on, you want to come?"

"The Country Bar?" Mercedes looked at Sam, who was waiting for her answer with a smile on his lips. "Yes, of course. Why not?"

"Perfect! Mary Ann is going too. Dave, Sam, you and me. You'll see how much fun we're going to have."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow, doubtful. Yes, of course. With Mary Ann going, they would spend a fabulous evening ... God help them. Mary Ann, Dave, Scott, Sam and her in the same bar!

* * *

><p>Mercedes listened as someone knocked on the door of her room. She had spent the last ten minutes, stirring her clothes into her suitcase, trying to find something to wear that evening.<p>

"Come in." She raised her voice, enough so that they could hear her.

The door opened and Stacy came quickly, closing it behind her.

"Mom told me that you guys are going to the Country Bar." She spoke, sitting in the bed, watching how the girl was moving her clothes again and again in her suitcase.

"That's the plan, if I can make up my mind and choose something." She said crossly.

Stacy laughed at her side, bending her legs in lotus position.

"You'll be perfect with anything you wear."

Mercedes moved slightly her suitcase to make room, and sat down beside her giving up. There was nothing in that suitcase, nothing that would serve her for that bar.

"Don't you have a denim skirt or something?" Stacy asked.

The girl shook her head.

That was what she had wanted to wear first. Too bad she did not have any. She would be lying if she did not say she wanted to look beautiful for him. She wanted him to only have eyes for her and not for all the girls who would go to that bar.

"And today is Sunday. Everything is closed." Stacy lamented.

"I know."

Although in any case, she did not have money to buy anything. Sam had not paid her yet for travelling with him and Mercedes wasn't going to accept it even if he did.

"It's a shame, because my brother would have dislocated his jaw seeing you in a skirt."

That's what she had thought! Demon girl, did not help at all.

"Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless we go now to see Miny! I'm sure her sister will have something that fits you." She said, with a smile, pulling her hand to help her lifted out of bed.

"Wait, who is this Miny? And how are we supposed to get there?" She asked, getting up.

"She's my best friend... And you will drive."

"What?" Mercedes gasped.

"Come on, don't waste time. You drive."

"But I haven't driven in a while and..."

"Come on!" She said, pulling her and running out the door.

"Shouldn't we tell Sam?" She managed to say as she was pulled down the stairs.

"No! Of course not! It's a surprise!" She yelled, grabbing the keys from the kitchen's keychain . "You're gonna drive Mary Ann's truck."

They had already gotten out of the house, and now they were climbing onto the truck that Stacy had said.

"Oh my goodness! As He wishes." She responded. "Where did you say that this Miny lived?"

"Ten minutes from here." The teenager replied, putting her belt already.

"This is complete madness, Stacy." She said, putting the keys in the ignition and driving it.

"I know. This better be worth it, my brother will die when he sees you."

"No, please." She said, amused. "I would be a very young widow." She joked.

Treading lightly on the accelerator, they went from there, hoping and praying that everything go well.

* * *

><p>He had half an hour sitting in that bed. Half an hour waiting for her to return from the place where she was gone. Almost forty-five minutes ago, Scott had said to him that he had seen her driving Mary Ann's truck with Stacy as companion. For forty-five minutes he was wondering where she could have gone. He was going crazy and imagining the worst. Wouldn't she be okay? Why had she gone? It made no sense she have gone that way, without saying anything.<p>

_Where are you, beautiful?_

He got up, tired of waiting and sitting and he began to walk around his room. Restless, nervous. Going through different moods. Worried, scared. Maybe she had told Stacy everything? Is that why she was gone? Had she gone back to her life? She wasn't thinking of coming back?

_No, please. Don't take her away from me now._

What an idiot! She could not have gone. All her clothes were there. Her suitcase, her things. What stupid!

But if she had not gone, where was she?

The door finally opened, while he was looking out the window. Turning around, too fast, he almost lost his balance. Leaning against the window frame, relaxed, hoping not to make a scene. But soon forgetting everything he had planned to say. Mercedes was before him, beautiful, gorgeous, with a denim skirt and a red checker shirt. The boots she was wearing were also new and Sam had no idea where she had got them.

"Where...?" He started to say, as he watched her closing the door and leaving some bags on the bed.

"I was at Miny's." She said, sitting up and crossing her legs, giving him a good view.

"Who is Miny?" He asked, trying not to look at her beautiful legs.

"Stacy's best friend." She said again, as she played with her hair, taking it away from her neck.

_Can you stop doing that? You're killing me._

"You could have warned me." He reproached her.

She was killing him with her clothes and rage was born in him in response. A rage that would dissipate if only...

_Think of something else! _

"She didn't give me time." The girl excused herself. "Stacy told me she was in a hurry and... Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not."

And he was not. Of course not. He just wanted to take off that skirt she was wearing and make love to her until they could not anymore.

"You sure?"

_Stupid! Did you really think he'd tell you you're beautiful? Think again. It will not happen. _

"Sure." He said, watching as she got up out of bed and headed to the bathroom. "Mercedes?"

"Yes?" The girl turned, excited, waiting for what she knew would be impossible.

"You're so beautiful."

"Thank you."

Mercedes felt her cheeks blushing uncontrollably.

Wait a moment!

He had said to her "You're so beautiful" instead of "You look so beautiful", right?

"I though you wouldn't want to wear skirts."

"Stacy convinced me." She said last time, before finally entering the bathroom.

_Stacy ... Stacy ... Sis. Thanks for trying to kill me._

* * *

><p>"Jesuschrist, Mercedes!" Scott yelled, watching her coming downstairs. "That's a skirt and the rest is nonsense! Are you still alive, Sammy?"<p>

His brother looked at him wanting to strangle him. Mary Ann and he were already waiting for them downstairs in the lounge of the house. His sister, unlike Mercedes, had decided to wear pants that afternoon. Sam wished the girl had done the same. Now he would spend all night trying to keep his hands on his hips rather than lose them under that skirt.

"Are we all ready?" He asked, avoiding his brother.

"Yep. Ready to mingle. At least me, you guys can't." Scott reminded them.

"Yes I can." Said his sister.

"Yeah... Too bad men don't like you, sis." Scott replied, referencing her same sentence.

Mary Ann snorted, getting up and off the couch and headed toward the kitchen.

"Don't we wait for Dave?" Sam asked his brother.

"He said he will meet us there."

"Perfect. Let's go to the truck, then." They heard Sam saying with a smile on his face.

"The truck? No way! You will come with us in the van." Scott said.

"But..."

"No trucks! They aren't needed here, okay? Said his older brother.

"Okay, okay."

Sam saw him pass by his side, as he grabbed Mercedes' hand and they came outside as well. On the way towards the van, he watched the truck stood there alone.

"Sorry, buddy. Soon we will see our faces again. Soon enough." He said aloud.

Mercedes tried to follow his steps toward the van, but the boots she wore made her walk slower. It had not been Sam's words which had made her do so. No...

He wanted to get out of there. He wanted nothing more than to get on his truck and leave forever_. _

_He wants to go. It is only a matter of time that he will be out of your life._

Sam suddenly stopped, looking at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, as he dropped her hand and held her by the waist.

"Yes." She replied in a whisper, wrapping his waist as well.

"Come on, it's getting late." He said, stopping at the side of the truck and opening the door for her to help her get in it.

He helped her and then he turned the car to take his place in the back seat next to her.

What had put her in that state? For a moment he had seen her smiling and then, the girl had showed the saddest eyes he had ever seen. What was supposed he have done? Not replying to his brother? Not have said "Yes, Scott. I'm still alive, despite everything. Despite having seen her in that skirt and haven't been able to make love to her like I would have wished?. I'm still alive even though she is determined to kill me with anything that she wears. With each of the looks she gives me. And her smiles kill me, brother. But yes, I'm still alive, despite everything."

Nearing her, he whispered again in her ear.

"You look so beautiful."

"You already told me that." Mercedes could not help but giggle.

No. He didn't. _"You're so beautiful"_ was what he had said.

"Did I?" He asked, wanting to look confused.

"Yes." She said, noting how her cheeks blush.

Scott looked at them in the mirror, causing them held their hands as a reflex. Or perhaps both had taken the opportunity to caress themselves.

Because that was what they were doing with his hands now. Both played tickling each other without receiving any electric shock. These were already part of their past.

"No funny business in front of the poor, guys, have pity." Scott said.

"Shut up and drive." Replied his brother, before Mercedes tried to leave his hand.

He would not allow it. Even less to obey Scott. If his brother did not want funny business, funny business he would have.

Mercedes laughed, watching Scott's reaction and Mary Ann's snort.

It did not take long to reach the Country Bar. There, there were several cars parked in the parking lot. And they hoped that Dave was already there.

"Just go inside. I'm going to park a bit far from here. I don't want a drunk to break my glass."

"How cautious." Mercedes laughed, getting off the car and waiting for Sam and Mary Ann.

Scott watched them entering the bar and then he hit the gas, driving the car a little further away from the parking.

He wondered if Dave would have come, but he had not seen his car anywhere yet. He parked, getting off and locking it up. Then he adjusted his pants and shirt, and looked in the side mirror of the car.

"You look perfect." He told himself.

If no one said that to him, someone would have to.

"Don't lie! I know you're his whore!"

Scott turned like a spring to where the shrill voice came.

_Whore?_

He looked carefully, but he didn't know the woman who had just spoken. Would it be new in town? Would be from the neighboring village?

He skirted the car to get a better view of the scene and then he saw her.

In front of the woman who had just screamed was no one than his dear Doctor Harbor. The same he had met the previous morning, the same who had refused to have a dinner with him. The same who had made a stew with his balls!

"You found the wrong person, ma'am." He heard her saying to the woman.

Scott stood motionless for a few seconds, hiding behind his truck. Desiring to understand what it was all about.

"All of you are the same to me! All! You think you can fool me but I know exactly what you do."

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"My Wilbur is planning to leave me for you and I will not allow it. Did you heard me, hypocrite?"

"Excuse me? What did you call me? I don't know any Wilbur!"

"You're lying!"

"I don't know why you have decided to bother me, ma'am. But I have more important things to do than listen all afternoon how you disrespect me. Did you hear me?"

"Honey! Why is it taking you so long?"

The two turned to see Scott Evans appearing on stage, hugging the doctor and then giving her a kiss in front of the woman. A long, deep kiss. A kiss that had enjoyed like no other.

A kiss that he hated to break.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I had never seen you here. Are you from the next village?" Scott asked, turning to her, as he put her hand on the girl's waist.

The woman opened her mouth in amazement.

Perhaps it was because his Wilbur was not as handsome as was the boy in front of her, or so young. But the woman did not even answer; she raised her upturned nose and walked away leaving them stunned.

However, Scott wasted no time, going all out and trying to kiss her again.

"How dare you?" The girl screamed, slapping him mercilessly. "Didn't I make myself clear yesterday?"

"What?" Scott asked, stroking his cheek hurt. "That you wanted to have dinner with me or that you wanted to kiss me? We have already done the second thing, say yes to the first and we can go to the next level."

The doctor opened her eyes wide. Shaking her head, she started to move away from him. But Scott did not let her go, grabbing her hand and pulling her attacking her lips again.

Kissing her relentlessly. Kissing her and getting lost in that sweet mouth he had desired to taste. Opening it enough to brush her tongue with his. He was kissing her and she was getting carried away...

"Ah!" He cried, separating from her. "You bit me!"

"If I didn't make myself clear now then you're a stupid, Scott Evans."

"I'm bleeding." He complained, looking at the blood on his fingers.

"Do not tell me that it really affects you..." She could not finish the sentence. The boy began to get dizzy, and she held him by the waist preventing him from falling. "I now understand your paleness yesterday."

"Do not laugh." Scott asked, sticking to the wall.

"I don't."

The doctor took out a handkerchief and with it she wiped the blood on his lips. Pausing for a moment to see his beautiful blue eyes. He watched her intently, without moving his hands. "In a few minutes you will be better. Stay here while recovering."

"Will you leave me alone?"

"Leave you alone? No way. The last I would need now would be you falling to the ground and smashing your head. Everyone would blame me. I cannot allow that.

The doctor leaned against the wall beside him too.

"I do not know your name yet." He reminded her, after a few minutes in complete silence.

"You don't need to know."

"Why do I feel that is a horrible name and that's why you don't want to say it?"

"It's not horrible!"

"No ... Of course not." He laughed.

"Is not! It's inappropriate!" She exploded.

"Inappropriate? Ina ... what? Oh, God!" No, it could not be... Right?

"No, no please. Don't even say it out loud. Do not say it!"

"Pearl Harbor! Oh my God!" Scott Evans, fully recovered, burst out laughing.

"This is not funny! Do not laugh!"

"Yes it does!" He could not stop laughing. "Who in their right mind came up with that name?"

"My father! And he was not in his right mind, he was completely drunk!"

"That explains everything"

"Promise me you will not tell anyone, please."

"Why? It is a very pretty name."

The boy savored her name on his lips, whispering. Causing her to look at how his mouth said it fondly and at the same time, with a sensuality that mesmerized her.

"Pearl..."

"Is the name of an attack in which thousands died." She dared to say, looking straight ahead.

Scott was speechless for a few seconds. Seconds that seemed eternal to the doctor.

She was right. He had not seen it that way. The boy tried to say something to comfort her but the words died in his mouth.

"You promise me not to tell anyone?" She asked, this time looking into his eyes. Scott wanted to say yes. He would never do anything to hurt her. But he could not miss an opportunity when it was served to him on a silver platter. With a wry smile, he whispered.

"On one condition."

"Which one?"

"I want you to have dinner with me."

"You don't get tired, do you?"

"No. I never desist if it's really worth fighting for something."

"I guess if I don't want all the people knowing my name, I will have to accept your proposal."

"You guess right." He replied, realizing that he had just won the game.

"I know I'll regret this, but... I accept."

"Good." Scott showed his smile of triumph.

"Actually, I thought you would ask me to call you by your name."

"Ah, no. In fact I love you calling me Mr. Evans. It's one of my fantasies." He whispered in her ear, coming close to her dangerously.

"You're a stupid, Scott Evans." She patted his arm separating him from her immediately.

"I know, honey. Now... Can you say it to me again while you kiss me?"

The doctor snorted again, separating herself from the wall and already heading for the door of the bar. Scott had not moved an inch. He was carefully watching her hips moving with every step she took.

"Are you coming or what?" Asked the girl, turning back to him.

"Right now." He said with a smile from ear to ear.

_Right now, Pearl._

For a moment seeing her swaying her hips made him imagine how it would be sleeping with her. Kissing and caressing her as she demanded it to him. Because Dr. Harbor was not one of those girls who begged. She wasn't. And Scott was convinced that sooner or later he would get her, full of pleasure, shouting his name.

* * *

><p>"Where is Scott?" Mary Ann asked for the umpteenth time disgusted with the cloying scene taking place in front of her.<p>

Sam stopped looking at his "girlfriend" for a second to speak to his sister.

"He's probably flirting with some girl or waiting for Dave outside."

"Dave is old enough. He doesn't need anyone waiting for him. Scott better comes fast. I did not come to be a chaperone."

Mercedes chuckled, watching as Dave McCain entered the bar. The girl did not hesitate to raise her hand so that he would find them more easily.

"In fact, Dave just came without Scott."

Mary Ann refused to turn around to see him coming. She didn't want him to think she was paying attention to him.

They could have to sit next to each other in the same booth, but she would not talk to him.

"Hey!" Dave greeted them, sitting beside her without wasting time. "Where is Scott?"

"Well ... He was parking. Half an hour ago... We assumed that he would be waiting for you."

"I have not seen him." He replied, shrugging.

Mary Ann could be sitting beside him, but he would not speak to her. If she expected so she was very wrong.

"How are you, Mercedes? Mrs. Evans told us what happened yesterday in the afternoon. I'm so sorry about everything that happened. Really sorry. I don't know why that happened. Lightning is not like that."

"It's okay, Dave. Everything is fine. The scare is over and well... I've decided not to ride anymore." She said, as he pressed Sam strong hand under the table, seeking for his support.

"I get it. And I'm really sorry, Mercedes. I apologize to you too, Sam. It could have happened a tragedy and... Sorry again."

Sam nodded.

"It was not your fault, Dave. Forget it. It's all in the past." He reassured him.

"Yes." He said softly.

"Am I seeing right?" Mercedes asked, watching the front door.

"If you're watching what I am, then yes." Sam replied, astonished.

"What are you talking about?" Mary Ann asked, turning her head at the same time as Dave.

"Okay, this is amazing. How did he do that?" They heard Dave say.

_Good question._

Sam thought. Watching as Scott and the new veterinary were heading towards them with a smile on their lips.

_To be continued…_

* * *

><p>And that's it for now… I hope you liked it. Thank you so much for reading it and sorry again for making you wait this long.<p>

Next chapter we'll see more of Samcedes… Scott/Pearl and… Mary Ann/Dave...

Don't forget to review, can't wait to know what you think about this chapter. ^.^

Hugs and kisses

Syl


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